Zimbabweans Must Not Be Forgotten

By Munyaradzi Masaka

29^th September 2026

Zimbabwe’s decision to donate food supplies to communities in drought-affected Botswana has raised an important question about the country’s own food-security situation: while Zimbabwe is extending a helping hand to its neighbour, are enough Zimbabweans receiving the help they need at home?

In September 2026, Zimbabwe donated 10 tonnes of food supplies to communities in Botswana’s drought-prone Bobirwa District through Zim Aid, the country’s foreign-assistance programme. The gesture demonstrates regional solidarity between neighbouring countries.

However, the government must also confront the reality facing vulnerable Zimbabweans.

The World Food Programme’s 2026 assessment says 35% of Zimbabwe’s urban population is food insecure, while 57% of rural households experience food insecurity during the lean season. WFP also reports that high food prices, limited employment opportunities and economic pressures continue to restrict many households’ ability to obtain adequate food.

FEWS NET has similarly warned that food insecurity could deteriorate through early 2027, with some of the worst-affected areas potentially reaching Crisis (IPC Phase 3) conditions as households exhaust their own food stocks and face high staple prices and reduced incomes.

These figures should not be ignored.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Zimbabwe helping a neighbouring country facing drought. African countries have historically supported one another during difficult times, and humanitarian solidarity is important.

But charity beyond our borders should not distract from responsibility at home.

When families struggle to put sufficient food on the table, when unemployment limits people's ability to buy basic necessities, and when rural households face declining food stocks, government policy must ensure that vulnerable citizens are adequately protected.

The central question is therefore not simply, “Why did Zimbabwe give food to Botswana?” The more important question is: “What is Zimbabwe doing to make sure that no Zimbabwean family is left without sufficient food?”

A government is ultimately accountable for the welfare of the people it governs. Assistance to neighbours can coexist with domestic support, but Zimbabweans have a legitimate right to ask whether resources, policies and social-protection programmes are reaching those who need them most.

Zimbabwe should be able to lend a helping hand to its neighbours without leaving its own vulnerable citizens behind.

The country’s food-security figures provide an opportunity for government to reassess its priorities, strengthen social protection, address unemployment and improve household purchasing power.

The people of Zimbabwe deserve not only promises of a better future but also practical policies that ensure food, dignity, and opportunity are available to them today.

By Munyaradzi Masaka

About the author
Munyaradzi Masaka is a human rights activist based in the United Kingdom. He is in the Midlands Branch of the UK Chapter of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe.  He can be contacted by email at masakamunya8219@gmail.com