GMB accused of favouritism by millers in Bulawayo

By Tererai Karimakwenda
07 February 2006

Officials from the government run Grain Marketing Board (GMB) met with representatives from milling organizations in Bulawayo on Monday to try and iron out the problems that have caused shortages of mealie-meal in the city. There has been a shortage of mealie-meal around the country for a long time now but the situation has been particularly critical in Bulawayo. For the last 2 months, the shops there have had no supplies. Our correspondent George Nyathi reports that small-scale millers at the Bulawayo meeting accused the GMB of distributing most of the maize to large-scale operations. Many of them then resell the scarce commodity at higher prices on the black market, causing shortages in the local shops.

Nyathi said the smaller millers have resorted to importing maize from the surrounding rural areas, but not much is available. The police are also searching vehicles at strategic roadblocks leading into Bulawayo, and blocking the entry of any maize from outside. A Bulawayo resident told us it is ironic that the same government officials responsible for the shortages and the roadblocks had organised a meeting to discuss solutions. GMB officials promised to immediately look at ways to distribute the maize in a more fair and transparent manner. Some millers said it was lip-service as usual.