BY VENERANDA LANGA
PUBLIC Service minister Paul Mavima on Tuesday claimed that Members of Parliament monitored the selection of vulnerable people entitled to COVID-19 cushioning allowances.
Mavima said this when he appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Service to discuss food deficit mitigation measures and COVID-19 relief grants.
Last April, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced an $18,2 billion package to cushion industry, and for social grants for vulnerable citizens whose incomes were hit by COVID-19.
But MPs and civic society groups accused government of failing to disclose the number of people who benefited from the fund and how they were identified.
MPs also said they did not know of anyone who had benefited from their constituencies.
Government said it was targeting to assist more than a million vulnerable people during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
But on Tuesday, Mavima claimed that MPs were included in the monitoring exercise.
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He said the COVID-19 relief fund included cash transfers of $1 500 per month for households of five people, an amount which was raised from the previous stipend of $300.
“Selection of the COVID-19 cushion allowance beneficiaries was unique in that we had to do it in an emergency situation. We had potential beneficiaries drawn from local authorities, vendors associations, informal sector groups, small and medium enterprises, women’s organisations and walk-in clients to our district offices,” Mavima said.
“Politicians and other interest groups referred potential applicants to our offices and these would also go through a means test and verification process.
“Legislators played an oversight role and we did not expect them to be involved in the direct implementation of government programmes,” he said.
Mavima said COVID-19 allowances were last disbursed in September 2020, adding that nothing had been allocated for this year.
On food aid, Mavima said there would be free cash and food distribution for child-headed households, people living with chronic illnesses, people with disabilities and the elderly.
“In line with the food deficit mitigation programme policy, Cabinet has approved the re-targeting exercise for the 2021 to 2022 cycle.
“We will stop grain distribution end of April which coincides with the end of the peak hunger period. Distribution will only commence after the 2021 Zimvac results are published and re-targeting done,” he said.
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