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COVID-19 HUNGER FUNDS DEPLETED

25/09/2020 22:28:00 BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE

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MBABANE – COVID-19 hunger coffers are running dry.

Government’s financial commitment towards alleviating hunger during this era of COVID-19 will be reviewed at the end of September this year, following the depletion of resources and the improvement in phases of the partial lockdown.

The country is currently in Phase three, which allows for the operation of most businesses, increased numbers in churches as well as freedom of movement without special permits.

Scores of emaSwati who have been affected by hunger are receiving E700 monthly as a grant courtesy of the Kirsh Foundation.

At the inception of the hunger situation, Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku informed Parliament that the total amount that government had budgeted for hunger was E270 million, while it was estimated that the total number of starving emaSwati was 301 762.

The money was to come from government coffers and donations. This newspaper reported earlier on that government’s commitment to alleviate hunger was about E60 million. The largest chunk of hunger relief donations came from the Kirsh Foundation, which donated varying amounts adding to over E110 million for the hunger relief. World Vision and the Taiwanese Embassy also made huge donations, inclusive of rice, cooking oil, beans and other food stuffs which were distributed to a few Tinkhundla centres.

In an interview, Masuku said this week that the hunger relief programme was up for review at the end of September.

Relief

“We were not going to sustain the relief aid forever because we do not have a permanent programme. For now, we are still running it, but only until the end of September,” he said.

The DPM said some people had already been taken off the scheme because the industries they worked for had since reopened. He insisted that government policy was such that beneficiaries of food relief should not add to other social grants such as the elderly and disability grants. Also, those receiving a salary from their workplaces were not entitled to the grant.

Masuku said government had a system by which it stopped some people from receiving both the hunger relief aid as well as pension and disability grants.

He acknowledged that some people continued to cheat the system by cashing in twice, given that it was not entirely foolproof.

“The people who continue to do that are selfish. But I’m happy we now have a system that will expose all those people. Those who benefitted twice will have to refund the state,” he said.

Masuku said at least 20 000 of such cases were discovered and some had refunded government the money, which was then used for the benefit of deserving people.

He said most of the culprits were exposed by similarities in national Identification numbers.

Responding to questions on whether the country had weathered the storm of hunger caused by the pandemic, he said he would wait for the Vulnerability Assessment Report before making an informed comment.

“But generally, we all know that by this time people run short of food supplies and start asking for food relief because they have exhausted everything in their barns. We are encouraging emaSwati to plant food crops in their backyard gardens to ensure that they have something to eat even during this period of time,” he said.

Estimate

He said though the estimated figure for those who required food aid was 301 000, he knew for certain that the country had managed to reach out to much more than those. He said government had a task to look for other aspects of assisting the needy if the COVID-19 situation persists and subjects people to hunger. The DPM said emaSwati must shy away from the dependency syndrome and learn to be self-sustainable through agricultural means.

NDMA Director Russell Dlamini was not available for comment when called for comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, Kwaluseni MP Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini said several members in his constituency were still reeling from hunger and kept on asking him for assistance.

He said though he was grateful for government’s food relief programme, he wants the programme to continue even after September.

“In my constituency, many people were relying on alcohol related employment creation. We all know that currently alcohol is banned in the country, so the people are still reeling from hunger,” said the MP.

A recent report from the DPM’s office that was focused on the impact of COVID-19 showed the Kwaluseni Constituency had the highest number of people affected by hunger, sitting at about 22 000.

The Director of the Coordinating Assembly for Non Governmental Organisations (CANGO) Emmanuel Ndlangamandla said the assistance from the Natie Kirsh Foundation was salutary.

“It is understandable that the State could not support the people permanently, but praise is due to those who contributed,” he said.

Assessment

Ndlangamandla said his personal assessment was that the country was not yet out of the woods, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were still persisting.

One of the beneficiaries of the E700 monthly grant, Thandazile Dlamini of Siphofaneni, said she was disappointed that the grant would come to an end given the scarcity of jobs.

“Even before the COVID-19 affected the country, I was searching for employment to support my child. Many companies have since closed, leaving me without much hope,” she said.

Questions were sent to the Coordinator of the Kirsh Foundation, George Lys, seeking to find out prospects of renewal of the grant, but he was reported to be out of the country.

Besides the hunger alleviation fund, government has also established an Unpaid Layoff Relief Fund which distributed at least E400 per month to people affected by the COVID-19 business interruptions. A process to establish a permanent Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is also in the making.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Thulani Mkhaliphi said the disbursement of the grants was proceeding well, though numbers of beneficiaries had declined, owing to the reopening of many industries.

He said the fund would however, continue to operate as long as the resources were still available and the national disaster was still in effect.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring countries, scores of people registered discontentment that their hunger relief fund which amounted to E350 per person had ceased to be deposited in their accounts, as the government also said the programme was not to be reviewed due to shortage of resources.

The intended coming to an end of the E700 relief grants comes at a time when the Prime Minister, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, announced an extension of the national emergency by two more months.

The PM announced the extension through legal notice dated September 18, 2020.

This means that the national emergency, initially declared by His Majesty King Mswati III through the head of government on March 17, 2020 would now come to an end in November.