By Beverly Bizeki
Over 21,000 urban residents from Masvingo District, who registered for the government’s food aid program and purchased NetOne SIM cards to receive funds for the Cash for Cereal initiative, have been left disappointed and empty-handed.
Three months have passed since the scheduled dates for receiving the funds, but no payments have been made, and residents have received nothing except confusion, fake messages on social media, and delays from the government.
The programme, which was launched in June, was designed to assist vulnerable families in urban areas for nine months, starting in September and continuing into the early months of 2025. However, no money has been deposited into the recipients’ One Money accounts, leading to frustration and confusion.
Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed their anger over the delay and the lack of proper communication from the government.
One elderly woman from Mucheke D said that she had lost hope after three months without receiving anything from the government.
“We were registered by enumerators from social welfare a few months ago and were instructed to buy NetOne SIM cards. The only communication we received was when we were asked to verify our registration at Chief’s Hall here in Masvingo, and nothing has been said since then.
“It seems like it was just a ploy. The worst part is we were misled with false information about the SIM cards, which allegedly required us to recharge them for them to work—but it was all for nothing,” the senior citizen said.
When contacted for an update on the Cash Transfer program, Masvingo Provincial Social Welfare Officer Stansilous Sanyangowe confirmed that the necessary paperwork had been submitted but did not provide a timeline for when the disbursements would be made.
“We have 21,495 people set to benefit from the program, and the paperwork has been completed,” said Sanyangowe.
Not only has the delay been frustrating, but residents have also been misled by misinformation and disinformation. A fake message was circulated on WhatsApp, encouraging residents to go and collect non-existent SIM cards loaded with cash.
Hundreds of people in Masvingo City visited the Social Welfare Department to collect SIM cards loaded with the aid money after seeing a social media message to that effect, only to discover it was scam.
Though the origins of the message could not be verified, TellZim News confirmed that it was fake. The district office had torrid time turning away residents who had flocked to their offices, hoping to collect the aid that had been promised by the government.
“Good afternoon, comrades. All those who registered for the cash program with Social Welfare are encouraged to visit their offices to collect your NetOne SIM cards, which already have cash deposited. Inform others who are not on WhatsApp and those without cellphones,” read the message.
Sources revealed that other districts received their allocations from the first disbursement, which was not enough to cover all districts, with another disbursement expected.
The programme was meant to provide cash transfers equivalent to the price of a 7.5kg bag of mealie-meal per person in September, and an 8.5kg bag per person from October to March 2025.
The government had promised to disburse cash to 1.7 million urbanites across the country, with priority given to households headed by chronically ill individuals, the elderly, people with disabilities, female-headed households, and large households with orphans.
