Zim President on First Year in Office

…Government to import

Leroy Dzenga

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has pledged that his Government will not allow anyone to starve despite the country having been hit by drought.

In his address to mark his first elective year in office, President Mnangagwa said figures of food insecure families in the country continue to rise but measures are in place to avert food shortages.

“My pledge is that no Zimbabwean life should be lost on account of the drought,” President Mnangagwa said.

“In respect of the El Nino drought, the figures of families which are food insecure continue to rise. At the peak of the drought, more than five million Zimbabweans will be food insecure.

“In the last two sittings of Cabinet, Government has taken adequate measures to ensure the drought does not become a disaster,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said Government will import about 750 000 tonnes of grain to plug the national deficit.

The Zimbabwe Government has also launched a humanitarian appeal with the international community, as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of the drought.