The Government of Zimbabwe has publicly acknowledged being unprepared for the severe El Niño-induced drought that is currently affecting Southern Africa, including significant impacts within Zimbabwe itself. This revelation came during a session before the joint Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget and Finance and Industry and Commerce, where Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube outlined the unexpected severity of the drought and the consequent economic strains it has placed on the nation.
Minister Ncube admitted that the drought had taken the government by surprise, necessitating urgent fiscal adjustments. He disclosed plans to restructure the 2024 National Budget to allocate significant funds towards food imports, in an effort to mitigate the risk of widespread hunger. This reallocation will involve diverting funds from various budget votes to cover the unforeseen expenses brought about by the drought, highlighting a reactive rather than proactive fiscal strategy.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared the drought a national disaster, with the government estimating that over seven million Zimbabweans are now food insecure and in need of aid. In response, the government is seeking to mobilize US$2 billion to ensure adequate food supplies are available.
During his presentation, Minister Ncube remarked on the depth of the drought’s impact, which has exceeded initial expectations: “We didn’t know how deep the drought was,” he stated, acknowledging the significant underestimation of the situation’s severity. The minister also suggested that the government might consider borrowing to manage the crisis, though he expressed confidence in Zimbabwe’s ability to manage its external debt.
Additionally, the government has implemented several measures to combat the effects of the drought. These include opening borders to facilitate private sector imports of grain, which is intended to alleviate some pressure on national food supplies.
However, the government’s admissions and subsequent actions have come against a backdrop of prior warnings from several non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies. These groups had forecasted the looming food insecurity crisis, estimating that nearly seven million Zimbabweans would require food aid in 2024 due to poor agricultural yields influenced by the drought. Despite these warnings, the severity of the situation seems to have caught the government off-guard.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FewsNet), a food security arm of USAid, had predicted that the 2024 harvest would be poor. Additionally, they noted that the food insecurity situation would be exacerbated by high food prices, compounding the challenges faced by the affected populations.
The crisis is not confined to Zimbabwe alone; neighboring countries such as Zambia and Malawi have also declared the drought a national disaster. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has reported that the agricultural sector’s devastation has left over one million families in need of food aid, further illustrating the regional magnitude of the drought’s impact.
The situation highlights a critical need for more robust agricultural strategies and emergency preparedness in Southern Africa, particularly in the face of increasing climatic variability and extreme weather events such as El Niño. The current crisis underscores the importance of integrating climate adaptation measures into national agricultural and fiscal policies to enhance resilience against future climatic shocks.
Zimbabwe’s struggle with the unexpected severe drought has prompted significant governmental action, including budget reallocation and opening up to grain imports. However, the crisis has also exposed gaps in emergency preparedness and the responsiveness of governmental and regional bodies to climatic threats. Going forward, enhanced forecasting, preemptive planning, and international cooperation will be essential in mitigating the impacts of similar disasters, ensuring food security, and safeguarding the livelihoods of millions in Zimbabwe and across Southern Africa.
Source: Newsday
