Community leaders in Matabeleland South have urged the government to intensify irrigation programs in the drought-prone region, after the United Nations Population Fund (UNICEF) this week said children in the region are hardest hit by kwashiorkor, due to food shortages.
The government says although food insecurity is prevalent throughout the country, the most affected areas are under region four and five, which include Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, and Manicaland.
Matabeleland South senator Sithembile Mlotshwa tells VOA Studio 7 that the situation is dire in her region because most families, including breast-feeding mothers survive on one meal per day.