FOOD AID: COPS CALLED AS RESIDENTS SCRAMBLE TO REGISTER

MBABANE – Police officers had to be called after Mangwaneni residents scrambled to register for government’s food assistance programme and in the process, almost injured each other.

The confusion was allegedly caused by lack of communication among local community authorities and the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).

The rush to register was so serious that it got to a point where the residents pushed and shoved each other to have their names registered first. As a result, they did not observe any social distancing and police officers had to come in to restore order. One officer was heard shouting at a group of people who had assembled by the gate in a quest to be registered. 

Mangwaneni Constituency Councillor (Bucopho) Muzi Kunene said they had received a directive to come with people who were most affected by the pandemic in terms of hunger. Kunene highlighted that they were not properly informed on how exactly they should carry out the exercise. He mentioned that when they informed the beneficiaries, they in turn called their relatives and as a result, this caused the commotion.  

“They did not even detail what tools the community caregivers should prepare. Initially they said they would communicate with the chairpersons of the committees but we were later called and told to come with the beneficiaries,” the constituency councillor said. He further explained that they had registered over 100 people but they were turned back and told to return today.

Confusion

Meanwhile, one resident who was interviewed expressed her frustration on the confusion and the questions posed during the registration process.

“How can you ask a person why they want food? I mean, we are hungry and that is the reason we are here,” the resident said. She further mentioned that the reason they needed the assistance was because government issued an order for them to stay home and they heeded to the call.

The resident, who is a hairdresser, said she was staying at home and currently not making any money and as a result she could not afford to buy food to feed herself and her family. When reached for comment, NDMA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Russell Dlamini said he had not received all the information yet and would investigate the matter.

He highlighted that normally, the NDMA officers met with constituency councillors and explained the entire process. Thereafter, he stated that they then met with the intended beneficiaries to sensitise them about the registration process and other issues. He articulated that in certain instances, the intended beneficiaries did not need to be physically present to be registered but only had to be known by local authorities. However, during the verification process, Dlamini pointed out that the registered individuals were supposed to be physically present.

“It is unfortunate that any delay in the registration process means a delay in the whole process for the cash transfers. So there is no magic that is going to be done and people have to work hand-in-hand with NDMA as it can do nothing without the people,” Dlamini said.

The CEO declared that he would call the officers to verify what really went on. He added that there was not a single person or institution, including government, that could know every person in detail without the local community. For this reason, he said that was why local community structures were being used to identify those who qualified to be registered for the food aid.

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