Zimbabweans will be reminded of the previous times the country has declared a state of disaster as food shortages threatened widespread starvation. A third of Zimbabwe’s current maize crop has just been written off due to a prolonged dry spell, according to reports.

Zimbabwe faces a massive grain deficit this year, and many Zimbabweans are expected to suffer as a result.

Neighbouring suppliers of grain to Zimbabwe in times of need, like South Africa and Botswana, also face shortages this year and this will put further strain on Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has struggled to feed itself since 2000 when President Robert Mugabe embarked on the seizure of white-owned commercial farms to resettle landless blacks and war veterans.

Food shortages wasn’t the only area that was putting the government under pressure.

Just last week, Reuters wrote that Zimbabwe’s government could face a shutdown because projected revenue from the diamond industry had failed to come through.

Those were the words from the finance minister, Tendai Biti.

Diamonds will have to deliver, otherwise the only thing we have to do will be to pay wages and government will have to close.

The state has failed miserably at many things, including the recent embarrassing closure of its national carrier – Air Zimbabwe.

Its response: “We’ll just start another airline.”

It owes workers from the airline US $35 million dollars.

Zimbabwe currently has an estimated 80 per cent unemployment rate, and has an annual grain consumption demand of nearly 2 million tonnes.

Joseph Made, Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Minister, told the state-run Herald newspaper that the government had halted sales from its grain reserves after a state crop assessment indicated that a third of the 1,689 million hectares of maize had been declared a write-off.

Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, said this morning in an interview that the world needs to stand together and not allow President Robert Mugabe to steal any future elections.

[It would be] naive to believe Zanu PF would willingly go to free and fair elections if they don’t have something up their sleeve, because he [Mugabe] speaks with a forked tongue.

Meanwhile, state media continue to play Robert Mugabe’s pop music. Elections are scheduled for 2013.

[Sources: AirNation, IOL, IOL, Reuters]