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Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
BULAWAYO shops that were looted and destroyed by violent protesters last week lost stock from the Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) worth more than $3 million.

Speaking after touring milling companies in Bulawayo yesterday, GMAZ chairman Mr Tafadzwa Musarara said last week’s disturbances left businesspeople counting huge losses.

Mr Musarara and the Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Judith Ncube toured Sun Set Marketing, Blue Ram, Blue Ribbon and National Foods to assess the security of national stocks.

They were accompanied by other officials from the Government, GMAZ and Zanu-PF.

“The maize meal that we had supplied to shops on account and was yet to be paid for was looted and it amounts to $1,3 million while the rice, salts and other products that we had supplied to the retailers amounts to $1,7 million and this is in Bulawayo only. We’re looking at a loss of $3 million.

“We’ve incurred a loss which is not insurable and these are our customers that we’ve known for years and they always meet their payment obligations. We’re now faced with the reality of writing off those debts and I don’t think it’s fair,” said Mr Musarara.

He condemned the protests, which were characterised by violence, saying they bordered on terrorism and affected many people.

“It must be noted that there’s no democracy in the world that allows those who want to oppose a Government to act in a manner that deprives ordinary people from getting food and shop-owners from running their businesses.

“The milling industry has nothing to do with the protests but we’ve lost because shop-owners have been attacked.

“We’re still to recover from that shock and we can’t comprehend it. We support the Government of the day and the burden of providing food security rests with the Government in terms of the Constitution, and of course we’ve been licensed to provide those services,” said Mr Musarara.

He assured the nation that there were enough stocks of mealie-meal to last up to the next harvesting season.

“National stocks are secure. We have enough to take us to the harvest season in August and beyond, thanks to Command Agriculture and other farmers who produced maize independently. There’s no likelihood of a shortage of maize or considering imports at the moment.

“The brands are increasing in the market. We’re seeing new players and the competition is tough, which is good because it provides the consumer with a wider choice,” said Mr Musarara.

He said the two giant millers in Bulawayo, National Foods and Blue Ribbon were getting their stocks via rail from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), with assistance from the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) while others were using roads.

He said they deliberately visited local small and big millers so that they could have an overview of what is happening.

“The maize situation had worsened last week in terms of outflows from the GMB because of security concerns but we’re glad the Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs has activated security and we’re now getting maize stocks as expected.

“Bulawayo is the busiest province in terms of maize milling. We’re fully aware of that as an association and we place so much importance in making sure that the maize meal provisions in Bulawayo exceed demand. From Bulawayo, supplies go as far as Victoria Falls, Masvingo and other areas,” said Mr Musarara.

He said they valued the availability of mealie-meal in every part of the country because it was the second most sought commodity after water in an ordinary household and it constitutes nearly 60 percent of the nutrients provision.

Minister Ncube, who is also the chairperson of the Provincial Joint Operations Committee (JOC), said they had come up with strategies to strengthen security and ensure accessibility of basic commodities for everyone in the city.

“We’ve met as JOC and come up with a number of strategies, which include deploying highly qualified security forces at our milling companies.

“Some residents have no access to basic commodities because the shops they were buying from were burnt down. Some churches are also willing to receive basic commodities which they can sell to residents. This is a development that will ensure accessibility for everyone,” said Minister Ncube.

She commended the Government and the NRZ for supporting the movement of mealie-meal and other basic commodities to the people.

Authorities at the milling companies that were visited commended the Government for being supportive, saying they were operating at full capacity and were distributing mealie-meal as wide as possible to retailers.

– @pamelashumba1