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Richard Muponde, Gwanda Correspondent
DROUGHT relief maize has arrived in Gwanda district with truckloads of the grain heading to distribution centres in areas hard hit by hunger.

The Chronicle yesterday observed District Development Fund trucks transporting the grain to Gwanda South.

Matabeleland South provincial administrator Midard Khumalo said the government was determined that no one would starve despite the El Nino induced drought.

“Yes, that’s should be the maize coming. We have what we call a Hit and Run programme and this week it’s in Matabeleland South. It’s only I’m out of office I would have given you the figures. Right now I’m travelling back to Gwanda but tomorrow morning you will get them,” said Khumalo.

The development comes as a relief to villagers who have been hard hit by hunger with Gwanda being one of the worst affected areas.

More than 33,000 households need food aid in Matabeleland South to cushion them from the effects of drought.

The number of vulnerable households in the province jumped from 20,345 before the drought was declared a national disaster by the government two months ago, to 33,061 as of last week.

This was revealed during a recent Civil Protection Unit meeting held in Gwanda.

Giving a report on the food situation, the provincial head of the Social Welfare Department, Totambirepi Tirivavi, said the distribution of grain would be speeded up to mitigate the effects of drought.

He said the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) had pledged to help in the distribution of food.