COVID-19 lockdown hunger hits Mahwindi

COVID-19 lockdown hunger hits Mahwindi

By Luckmore Marange

COVID-19 Lockdown hits Mahwindi

The COVID-19 lockdown has not spared anyone in the country, the worst hit being kombi drivers and mahwindi who have been locked indoors for one and half months. Mahwindi like anyone else have become vulnerable and the impact of COVID-19 lockdown has caused much suffering to this group. Video Mahwindi receiving Food Parcels.

Norton constituency legislator, Temba Mliswa has been on record calling for the government to provide for the vulnerable groups which include, the old and people living with disabilities. However in Norton, the Kombi drivers and Mahwindi approached their legislator for food relief as they can no longer bear hunger induced by the COVID-19 lockdown.

In response, Mliswa managed to organize for them mealie meal, cooking oil, salt and sugar. In the past he has been meeting a handful of Kombi drivers to discuss matters of how they operate well with the public. However during this handover of foodstuffs they came in their numbers.

The government must have an efficient social system to monitor how people are living in these hard times as well as coming up with tangible and comprehensive measures which benefit all Zimbabweans. Mliswa recently said the government has been inconsistent in policy implementation and failed to protect the vulnerable and people living with disabilities. “Government inconsistencies and apparent lack of strategy regarding Coronavirus has led me to believe that maybe we are barking up the wrong tree in borrowing solutions from the West. It is time we investigated homegrown solutions and strategies adapted from the West but to suit our own,” Mliswa said.

Zimbabweans are not sure whether Mahwindi and Kombis will be back on the road after the COVID-19 lockdown as their past experience operation raises much doubt on whether they can comply with new life brought about by COVID-19 pandemic.