Govt’s Urban Cash Transfer Program For Poor Households Collapses After Only One Payout

Zimbabwe’s Urban Cash Transfer Scheme Runs Dry After Just One Payout

The government’s much-publicised urban cash transfer programme for struggling households has collapsed after only one payout, leaving thousands of poor families stranded without support.

Minister Admits Funds Dried Up

In parliament last week, Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo confirmed that no funds have been released in 2025 to continue the cash transfer scheme.

Responding to a question from Luveve MP Discent Bajila (CCC) on how many Bulawayo families had benefitted this year, Moyo admitted the programme had stalled.

He told MPs:

“No additional funds have been received from the treasury for the cash transfer programme.”

Moyo revealed that 219,849 people were registered in Bulawayo under the “cash for cereal” scheme. However, only 39,293 received money, and that was back in October 2024.

Families Left With Only One Payout

Each of those beneficiaries was given the equivalent of US$8 (about R150) through NetOne’s OneMoney platform. The World Food Programme (WFP) stepped in at the time, providing 15,000 more recipients with an extra US$5 (about R95) as a nutrition top-up.

But since then, the minister admitted that nothing else has been disbursed.

He said plainly in his address to parliament:

“What we saw in October 2024 was the only disbursement. After that, no further payments have been made because treasury has not released additional resources.”

National Picture Paints A Bleak Reality

The situation in Bulawayo reflects what is happening across Zimbabwe. Many families registered for the cash safety net have never seen any money at all.

Moyo’s remarks underline the scale of the collapse of the scheme, which had been promoted as a key cushion for the urban poor. Instead, it has ground to a halt, leaving families in even more desperate conditions.

MP Discent Bajila pressed further, highlighting the failure of the programme to meet its promises. He told parliament:

“This was meant to be a social safety net. People registered in good faith. Now they are left without help, and without answers.”

The revelations have raised concerns about whether government social protection programmes have any reliable financial backing.

The WFP’s intervention, while welcomed, was not enough to reach the hundreds of thousands who signed up. With the treasury closing off support, hopes of a continued cash transfer lifeline for the urban poor have faded.