Many elderly people in
Swaziland (eSwatini) will no longer receive food aid under a government scheme to
tackle hunger during the coronavirus crisis.
People aged 60 and over who
receive monthly elderly grants (state pensions) but who do not have to care for
others such as grandchildren will not be registered for food aid in the second
wave of a government scheme to feed the hungry. They had received aid in the first
phase of the scheme.
The National Disaster
Management Agency (NDMA) which is coordinating the relief effort confirmed the
change this week.
Under the government scheme
about 300,000 people of the kingdom’s 1.3 million population were supposed to
get grants of E700 cash to be used to buy food.
Now, NDMA Chief Executive
Officer Russell Dlamini said
the money would not go to elderly people who get the monthly E500 elderly grant
from the government.
He said, ‘We have to be
very thoughtful with the funds that we have so many people who need the relief.
We are eliminating duplication by not registering elderly who are already
receiving grants from the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office.’
The Swazi Government’s
scheme to feed the hungry has been plagued with problems.
The fund was set up to give money to about 300,000 people
who faced hunger and possible starvation when they lost
their jobs because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown that started on
27 March. Many businesses were forced to close.
There were so many reports across the kingdom that the
registration was flawed that in some places the whole process had to start
again.
There were numerous reports that organisations tasked
by NDMA had failed to identify people genuinely in need. In turn those
organisations blamed NDMA saying the process
they were asked to follow was flawed.
In June 2020
Dlamini said many people had dishonestly registered for relief.
Media reported that
money was going to civil servants, landlords and some law enforcement
officers who had registered under questionable circumstances.
The Swazi Government’s feeding scheme was a failure
from the start. Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini had announced it would feed more
than 300,000 people by 6 May. By a month after that date only 113,273
people had received aid.
The feeding plan was originally rejected
by members of the House of Assembly who preferred that food, rather than
cash, be distributed. They feared money would not be spent on food.
On 7 July 2020 the Ministry
of Health reported the 14th death from coronavirus in Swaziland.
To date 1,056 have tested positive, according to official figures. By 7 June
there had been a total of 333 positive cases and three deaths.
See also
Only
four in ten receive food aid in Swaziland Govt coronavirus scheme, a month
after deadline
People
face ‘imminent death from hunger’ in Swaziland as coronavirus lockdown hits
poorest
Swaziland
Govt. pledges to feed 300,000 facing hunger in next two weeks as coronavirus
intensifies
Chaos
as Swaziland Govt. misses target to start food aid for destitute in coronavirus
lockdown
Swaziland
Govt. confirms it will not feed the starving in towns and cities during
coronavirus lockdown
No comments:
Post a Comment