Many Go Hungry Despite COVID-19 Food Basket Programme
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday May 11, 2020 16:31
As such, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Technical Services) in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Mpho Morapedi has urged people who have not received the relief package to contact authorities for assistance.
Already, there is uproar on social media regarding the relief package, with many people expressing their frustration citing irregularities in the programme.
People have expressed anger over being overlooked for assessment by social workers or not being recommended for the food basket rollout. In some areas considered prime and suburban in the city, residents have complained that they have not received any visit from social workers on assumption that they are not in need of food aid.
Others say despite being assessed and recommended a month ago, they are yet to receive their packages owing to the delay in the rollout. In some cases, they complain that there is an element of favouritism and biasness on the part of social workers towards their friends and families, a situation that has sparked conflict amongst residents and social workers (example being an incident in Kopong).
However, authorities say there is a plan to assist everyone to mitigate the social impact of COVID-19 in the country.
In an interview with The Monitor, Morapedi said the food basket is meant to assist those in need, particularly those financially affected by the COVID-19 extreme social distancing regulations, as such there is a plan to assist those who were left out.
He said this is despite the assessment being completed in many areas.
According to Morapedi, as at May 7, 2020, 439,258 households across the country had been assessed since the initiative began. Of that number, 329,985 households have been recommended for the baskets, while only 246,053 have received the food.
He admitted that they have received many complaints through their toll free number and have since directed local authorities to follow up on such cases.
“Other local authorities have completed their assessment. But as you are saying, there are situations where people who believe that they qualify, have complained that they were left out or were overlooked.
That was common in Gaborone. We have since directed local authorities to go back and assist those cases,” he said.
He explained that they were forced to pull out some social workers that were assigned to assess in some suburban places in Gaborone to augment those in high dense areas as the hunger situation was spiralling out of control.
This, he said, affected the assessment process in those areas, but have since went back to re-assess the households.