Donated food will kill us all
A hungry man is an angry man. I may still be in the Workers' Day mood but this is not me chanting some EFF or SMAWU slogan. This is me observing how the COVID-19 nightmare has made angry people out of many emaSwati (I wonder what is wrong with saying Swatis. After all, we were simply Swazis not too long ago and nobody complained). Anyway, let me conform, lest I be labelled Mr-know-it-all once again. Yes, it has happened before. I am actually getting used to it. In fact, it is what keeps me going. A hungry man is an angry man but apparently, a hungry woman is angrier. She will shout at government officials, NGO workers, journalists and even curious passers-by.
I have seen women in places like the slummy Alexiandra, near Johannesburg in South Africa shouting and demanding food from private donors or government workers sent to help mitigate hunger pangs brought about by effects of the coronavirus lockdowns.
No, I was not in the republic. This is just one of the benefits the R29-per-month DSTV subscription. Call me cheap but I do get all the news updates and up-to-date Scandal episodes like the rest of southern Africa.
I digress.
I have also seen scores of women (some with fancy and expensive-looking hairstyles) demanding the food that is due to them.
They deserve it by virtue of being amongst the most vulnerable in times like this, when the coronavirus is giving all of us sleepless nights and empty bank accounts.
The government gesture to distribute food hampers to those in need is commendable. So is the assistance of what Swatis (there we go again) refer to as 'tinini teNkhosi' (international donors).
However, the manner in which the food is given to the people will be the death of us. It will kill us all.
Absolutely no social distancing is observed when people congregate to receive the food parcels. They mix and mingle as if this is September 2019 or before.
I have seen this happening in SA, in Ezulwini, Makholokholo and Msunduza. In the latter area, the police had to be called to disperse the throngs of hungry residents. As would be expected, the people only cared about food and not any COVID guidelines.
If you ask me (and I know you would if you had the chance) this is full confirmation that Members of Parliament (MPs) were offside when they rejected government's recommendation to give cash to needy emaSwati (there you are), in favour of physically distributing it at Tinkhundla centrés. MPs simply wanted to hijack the process because once the food gets to the Inkhundla, the MP will take charge and beneficiaries would forever be grateful to him or her. Government should monitor the distribution of food by all concerned entities to ensure we do not infected with COVID-19 while we try to keep hunger pangs at bay.
That is all we ask. Otherwise, they have fabulously failed us in controlling the spread of the novel virus.
Give us cash or arrange for door-to-door distribution of food hampers and save thousands of lives. If Rwanda can do it, why can't we?
I have seen women in places like the slummy Alexiandra, near Johannesburg in South Africa shouting and demanding food from private donors or government workers sent to help mitigate hunger pangs brought about by effects of the coronavirus lockdowns.
No, I was not in the republic. This is just one of the benefits the R29-per-month DSTV subscription. Call me cheap but I do get all the news updates and up-to-date Scandal episodes like the rest of southern Africa.
I digress.
I have also seen scores of women (some with fancy and expensive-looking hairstyles) demanding the food that is due to them.
They deserve it by virtue of being amongst the most vulnerable in times like this, when the coronavirus is giving all of us sleepless nights and empty bank accounts.
The government gesture to distribute food hampers to those in need is commendable. So is the assistance of what Swatis (there we go again) refer to as 'tinini teNkhosi' (international donors).
However, the manner in which the food is given to the people will be the death of us. It will kill us all.
Absolutely no social distancing is observed when people congregate to receive the food parcels. They mix and mingle as if this is September 2019 or before.
I have seen this happening in SA, in Ezulwini, Makholokholo and Msunduza. In the latter area, the police had to be called to disperse the throngs of hungry residents. As would be expected, the people only cared about food and not any COVID guidelines.
If you ask me (and I know you would if you had the chance) this is full confirmation that Members of Parliament (MPs) were offside when they rejected government's recommendation to give cash to needy emaSwati (there you are), in favour of physically distributing it at Tinkhundla centrés. MPs simply wanted to hijack the process because once the food gets to the Inkhundla, the MP will take charge and beneficiaries would forever be grateful to him or her. Government should monitor the distribution of food by all concerned entities to ensure we do not infected with COVID-19 while we try to keep hunger pangs at bay.
That is all we ask. Otherwise, they have fabulously failed us in controlling the spread of the novel virus.
Give us cash or arrange for door-to-door distribution of food hampers and save thousands of lives. If Rwanda can do it, why can't we?
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