PUBLIC Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister Prisca Mupfumira has disclosed that more than 10 million Zimbabweans, which translates to 72,3% of the population, were living in abject poverty.
By Tinotenda Munyukwi
In a speech read on her behalf during commemorations of the Nelson Mandela International Day in Harare on Tuesday, Mupfumira said more than 72,3% of Zimbabweans were living in poverty, while the number of people in need of food aid was also on the rise.
“The fiscal space remained subdued due to underperformance of domestic revenue generation, increase in public expenditure, decreased exports and other declining capital inflows in the country to the extent that it has undermined social services provision in both urban and rural areas exacerbating the incidences of poverty,” she said.
Mupfumira said Zimbabwe had registered economic growth since 2009, but this was inversely working against increasing job creation and increasing poverty levels in the country.
She said the government was committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goal 1, which stipulates an end to poverty, but said this was only possible if long term interventions during droughts were embraced by everyone.
“We have started placing emphasis on linking emergency aid to long term development through resilience building and livelihoods strengthening,” Mupfumira said.
“We believe that it is high time we capacitate communities to cope with risks and shocks by building community assets and implement interventions that address all the dimensions of poverty.”
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Speaking at the same event, United Nations representative, Adolphus Chinomwe said Zimbabwe should emulate Nelson Mandela’s vision of eradicating poverty.
“We should expedite efforts to end poverty in Zimbabwe because women and children are suffering the most,” he said.
“Ending poverty is an act of justice and let’s fight it now if we want to secure a future for our children.”
