The ManicaPost
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Manicaland has started door-to-door deliveries of subsidised roller meal to residents in the high-density suburbs of Mutare and Makoni districts to curb long queues and promote social distancing.
Makoni District begun the exercise last week, while Mutare started on Saturday.
The programme was mooted by the respective districts’ Covid-19 taskforces as part of measures to address challenges posed by having many people at the same place.
The rollout was witnessed by deputy chairperson of the Covid-19 Inter-Ministerial Taskforce, who is also Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Provincial Taskforce chairperson Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba and members of her taskforce.
In Mutare, two retailers have partnered the taskforce and are serving the communities of Dangamvura, Chikanga, Hobhouse and Sakubva.
Family First Choice Supermarket director Mr Simbarashe Charamba said they had received 1 000 x 10kg bags of roller meal from Mega Market, which had served part of Hobhouse on the first day.
“We are targeting to push sales to 3 000 bags so that we can cover the whole of Hobhouse and Chikanga (suburbs) within the next three days,” he saidThe programme has been going on well with the support of the police and army, who are providing security to make ensure there is no chaos.
Each household is getting two 10kg bags of roller meal to accommodate those with tenants.
Mr Charamba said residents had requested that retailers should include other basic commodities such as cooking oil, sugar and washing soap.
Big Byte Groceries director Mr Resistance Mundembe said they had covered part of Gimboki on the first day and would be moving to Dangamvura and Sakubva.
Residents who bought the subsidised roller meal expressed gratitude to the Government for the initiative.
Mrs Emily Mutangadura of Ward 17, Hobhouse, said most people, especially the elderly had been failing to access the product due to long queues.
“We are happy; most of us here could not buy mealie-meal because the queues were long and there were those who had connections with shop owners who would hoard the product and sell in US dollars.
“This programme is transparent and all we have to do is to produce a council bill to prove that we stay at that address,” she said.
Mutare District taskforce chairperson, Mr Wilson Boore, said only Mega Market was so far supplying roller meal to retailers who were part of the programme.
He said other millers like National Foods, Thornton and Silo, were yet to come on board.
“We need to increase supply to the retailers in the programme so that we do not leave anyone behind and for continuity,” he said.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said Government will do all it can to ensure millers continue to receive adequate maize supplies.
“Everyone should benefit from such programmes, so that no one goes out to queue at supermarkets exposing themselves to Covid-19. Even those unscrupulous people who used to hoard and sell at exorbitant prices will have no room to do that. However, we need to continuously review this model to ensure that our retailers do not suffer losses in the process,” she said.
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