Poverty Forces Harare West Residents To Eat 'Strange' Worms
Some Harare residents have resorted to eating edible worms known as “Mamunya” in Shona due to hunger and poverty exacerbated by the five-week-long national lockdown.
The inhabitants of Chireche informal settlement on the outskirts of Harare West told NewZimbabwe.com that consumption of the worms is now creating health problems, especially for young children.
Siphiwe Mabvira, one of the residents at the farm compound told the publication:
We have run out of food. We have nothing to eat.
I am no longer living in harmony with my husband because we don’t have any food to give to our children.
This morning, we had a misunderstanding and he left home infuriated. Perhaps when he comes back he will bring a few fresh maize cobs that he usually steals from other people’s fields.
Another resident who identified herself as Mai Masuku told the publication that her children complain of stomach problems and have developed a skin rash as a result of eating Mamunya. She said:
It is because of hunger that we are eating ‘Mamunya’ as we have nothing to eat. My child developed a rash all over the body after eating these insects. It may get worse, but I can’t go to the hospital because I don’t have money.
