Zimbabwe’s Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, urged citizens to slash maize consumption and switch to thin porridge during a pre-budget seminar in Bulawayo on Friday, warning that the country must brace for a brutal Super El Niño hunger crisis.
Stretching Grain Supplies as Drought Looms
Addressing lawmakers on Friday, Mudenda cautioned that government assistance alone would not prevent widespread fatalities if seasonal rains fail again. To combat the looming threat, he called for a nationwide conservation drive to make existing grain stocks last longer.
The strategy centers on reducing the consumption of thick maize meal, known locally as sadza or isitshwala. Switching to porridge requires less mealie-meal, allowing households to preserve their reserves. Mudenda also stressed that no sadza should be thrown away, urging families to keep leftovers rather than discarding them.
Echoes of 1957 and the Regional El Niño Threat
Reflecting on historical precedent, Mudenda drew parallels to previous agricultural crises, recalling how families adapted during the 1957 drought. “I was a toddler in 1957. Instead of cooking isitshwala, you cook porridge,” he remarked to legislators, noting that families back then also dropped from three daily meals to two.
Meteorologists are forecasting another difficult farming season characterized by extreme heat, below-average rainfall, and likely crop failures. These conditions are linked to an El Niño climate pattern driven by warming Pacific Ocean waters that typically brings dry weather to southern Africa. Millions of rural Zimbabwean families remain highly vulnerable due to their reliance on rain-fed agriculture with minimal irrigation.
The devastation of the 2023–2024 El Niño remains fresh in the region, having wrecked harvests and left millions dependent on humanitarian food aid. Mudenda warned that another prolonged dry spell will place immense pressure on national grain reserves and public finances.
Budget Priorities and Parliamentary Oversight
Looking ahead to the upcoming fiscal plan, Mudenda emphasized that the 2027 national budget must prioritize social protection to shield vulnerable populations. “The Super El Niño is coming. The 2027 budget therefore should fortify social protection safety nets through which the government honours its pledge to leave no one and no place behind,” he stated.
The Speaker tasked members of parliament with using their oversight powers to guarantee that food assistance reaches deserving beneficiaries without delays or discrimination. He urged lawmakers to begin educating their constituencies immediately rather than waiting for acute shortages to materialize.
These warnings arrive as the government prepares to present the 2027 National Budget on November 19, bringing the country’s food security challenges into sharp focus.
