Mugabe’s Broke Zanu PF Regime To Stop Welfare Payments To 55 000 Households

THE Government will stop payment of cash to more than 55 000 households under the Harmonised Social Cash Transfer (HSCT) this month but efforts are now in progress to secure funding to extend it.

The Harmonised Social Cash Transfer is an unconditional cash transfer introduced in 2011 by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare (MPSLSW) to “strengthen purchasing power of 55 000 ultra poor households, who are labour constrained, through cash transfer”.

Targeted at food-poor, labour-constrained households, the objectives of the programme included enabling beneficiary households to increase consumption above the poverty datum line, reduce the number of ultra-poor households, and help beneficiaries avoid risk-coping strategies such as child labour and early marriage.

The deputy Minister of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare Tapiwa Matangaidze confirmed to the Sunday News that the programme was going to come to an end at the end of this month.

“It is true that the programme is going to stop at end of March because it operates in phases and this current phase comes to an end for the meantime,” he said.

Matangaidze was however, quick to allay fears that beneficiaries will not receive their April stipends saying all was under control.

“The beneficiaries must not panic in any way, we are in the process of securing funding together with our private partners so that in April people still receive their dues. We have not abandoned the project as such but this phase has come to an end,” said Matangaidze.

He said the Government was still committed to offering assistance to the vulnerable members of the society despite financial challenges.

“Commitment on the part of the Government is still there but we are facing challenges in that we have very limited budget support for our programmes so it draws us back a little but we can do more,” said Matangaidze.

He said they also have a Public Assistance programme in urban areas where vulnerable members of the community are getting US$20 each month. However, this fund is also affected by limited Government funding too. The granting of assistance is usually dependent upon a home visit which will enable the investigating officers an opportunity to assess the degree of desperation.

Vulnerable members of the community include those who are handicapped physically or mentally, those suffering from continuous ill-health, or dependents of a person who is destitute or indigent or incapable of looking after himself.

Matangaidze said there has been a realisation that metropolitan provinces in the country were also affected by hunger and need food aid. The minister said there has been an increase in the number of people who need aid in the country with the figure doubling to 3 million this year from 1,5 million in October last year.Source: sundaynews