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Business Reporter
MATABELELAND South is the highest province on the ladder of diaspora remittances received by different provinces in the country, a survey has revealed. A latest study on household income and expenditure conducted by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) 2015 on rural livelihoods shows that Matabeleland South comes first in terms of remittances at 38 percent followed by Masvingo at 31 percent and Mashonaland East at 28 percent.

Zimbabwe receives about 1.8 billion in remittances, gravitating towards $2 billion annually, from an estimated three million locals working in the diaspora.

Considering proximity and historic factors, Matabeleland provinces are believed to have the highest number of people working in neighbouring South Africa and Botswana for instance.

The survey indicates 60 percent of households in the country survive on crop production and sales followed by casual labour with remittances occupying third rank. Other survival approaches include livestock production and sales, gifts, skilled trade, small scale mining and food assistance.

The survey noted average household income was $86 for April 2015 compared to $111 for the same period last year with Matabeleland North reporting the least amount of average $55 per month. The bulk of household expenditure goes to food. The average dependency ratio was 1.5 and this is lower than that of 2013 and 2014 at 1.8. The highest dependence ratio was recorded in Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Masvingo provinces at 1.6 ratios each.

In terms of education, nationally, about 76 percent of children were attending school while 24 percent were not at school. About three percent of those not at school had completed Ordinary and Advanced Level. Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East provinces had the highest proportion of children out of school at 26 percent each. More girls (77 percent) of school going age were at school at the time of assessment compared to their male counterparts at 75 percent, says the report.

At district level, Mangwe in Matabeleland South and Mudzi districts had the highest number of children who were not going to school at 39 percent and 42 percent each respectively. The most common reason for children being out of school was financial constraints (37 percent) followed by children being considered too young. Other reasons include distance to school, illness and work for food or money.

Though small, five percent of the responses indicated children were not going to school due to pregnancy or marriage. ZimVAC is a consortium of the government, United Nations Agencies, non-governmental organisations and other international organisations established in 2002, led and regulated by the government.

It is chaired by the food and nutrition council, a department in the Office of the President and Cabinet whose mandate is to promote multi-sectorial response to food insecurity and nutrition problems to ensure that every Zimbabwean is free from hunger and malnutrition.