BY NATHAN GUMA
THE government’s use of an algorithm to identify beneficiaries of cash transfer programmes has contributed to millions of people left in need, an investigation by The NewsHawks can reveal.
Since 2020, the country has endured a series of droughts and a pandemic, which has left millions in need of immediate aid.
The government has had cash transfers among them the Harmonised Cash Transfer Programme, Cash for Cereal Programme, and the Covid-19 Cushioning Fund, which have been under scrutiny over the opaque distribution of funds.
However, information gathered by The NewsHawks from Auditor-General reports and budget statements between 2020 and 2024 suggests that more people have been prejudiced, which has been largely blamed on the algorithm used to select people eligible for aid.
The number of beneficiaries for cash transfer programs has also been dwindling.
According to the 2025 National Budget statement, at least 1.7 million individuals were registered for the Urban Cash for Cereals Programme, which is providing cash transfers in urban areas.
All the recipients were also selected using the algorithm, with approximately 30,000 people having received the cash transfers through NetOne’s One Money platform, each receiving an equivalent of US$8 per individual per month.
Smallholder farmers countrywide make up the majority of people targeted by the cash transfer programs. The NewsHawks spoke to the Zimbabwe Smallholder and Organic Farmers Forum (Zimsoff), who say they have not received transfers from any of the programs over the past years.
“The method of finding eligibility for aid is so biased on political, traditional lines, ending up with people who are not supposed to at the expense of real beneficiaries,” says Ngoni Chikowe, a technical officer at the Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers Forum (Zimsoff) based in Mutoko, Northern Zimbabwe.
“Data privacy, selection, and records are not properly managed and kept for future reference as to who benefited from which programme, which will make the same people benefit always when some remain desperate.
“None have been picked using this method, and none have received transfers from the government in times of hunger and emergencies.”
How it operates
The use of an algorithm to determine eligible recipients for funding from cash transfers in Zimbabwe was first mentioned in 2020 by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube when he said the government would be using it to determine who would be eligible to receive funding from cash transfers in Zimbabwe.
He said the algorithm would look at how much money is in a potential recipient's bank account, mobile wallet, and then use the phone number to determine where a potential recipient lives, without the recipient's consent.
Firstly, lists would be compiled from the service providers and the ministry of public service and fed into the algorithm, which would analyse the data using variables such as personal data, mobile money balances and locations.
After this, the money would be disbursed using the NetOne service provider.
According to a report by state-owned The Herald dated October 23, 2024, then public service minister July Moyo hinted that the beneficiary selection process for the Cash for Cereal Program would use their phone numbers, which is the same way the algorithm operates.
“We have selected NetOne after a competition, and the ministry is now transferring cash to all the people who have been selected through their phone numbers. The money that we are loading is from the ministry.”
The programme is meant to cushion urban populations whose livelihoods have been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Various attempts to contact the public service deputy minister Mercy Dinha were fruitless as she did not respond to questions sent to her. The ministry’s public relations officer, Respect Chofamba could not get back to questions sent her.
“Hi. No update as yet give me until Monday (24/02/25) and remind me,” she said in a WhatsApp message.
Abuse of the algorithm
According to academic, Dr. Clifford Mugoto, use of the algorithm comes with serious risks, particularly on the right to privacy in the harvested data used to identify the recipients, which has seen more recipients being left out.
Responding to questions by The NewsHawks, Dr. Mugoto said in the past, use of an algorithm has seen exclusion of vulnerable groups, especially individuals without access to mobile phones or bank accounts or those residing in areas with poor network coverage.
Dr Mugoto’s research for the the Institute of Social Studies titled; Algorithms in the distribution of Covid 19 relief funds, also castigated the government’s unfettered use of people's data without consent, which it says breaches the right to privacy, while putting their information at risk of being used for political purposes.
The government has already been under scrutiny for using citizens' data for political purposes, with the ruling party Zanu PF drawing public ire when it sent personalised SMS messages promoting its presidential candidate, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Dr. Mugoto said that the government should improve ways in which it distributes aid in times of need for greater transparency.
“The government should disclose how the algorithm operates and what data it uses and provide an appeals mechanism for those who believe they were unfairly excluded,” he told The NewsHawks.
He also said the government should diversify and not limit distributions to NetOne, integrating all mobile money providers (Econet, Telecel, etc.) for broader access.
“Human oversight should complement algorithms to ensure that those who genuinely need aid but lack mobile wallets or bank accounts are not excluded. Clear regulations should be set to prevent the misuse of citizens’ financial and geolocation data. There is also a lack of transparency.”
Bias
However, this procedure has been subject to bias, with more people missing out on aid.
For instance, in 2020, when the government announced a US$600 million facility to cushion vulnerable families affected by Covid-19, the Ministry of Social Welfare prepared the database using information from service providers, from where recipients would be picked by the algorithm.
Then Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Lovemore Matuke said that 800,000 beneficiaries eligible for support would be identified through a platform by service provider Econet. A further 200 000 would be identified from physical lists drawn by the Ministry of Social Welfare.
However, according to a report by the National Council of Social Workers, the programme only benefited 276 000 people by December of 2020, locking out the remaining people eligible for aid.
NetOne has also been under scrutiny for failing to keep updated lists of beneficiaries, which has prejudiced many.
In 2020, the network operator also failed to properly account for a US$1 million fund the organisation was mandated with distributing to vulnerable citizens whose livelihoods were adversely affected by the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
Privacy Concerns
Associations representing residents countrywide interviewed in a survey by The NewsHawks to quantify aid received, say most of their members have not received aid since the Covid-19 pandemic, and more concerns have arisen regarding privacy.
"During the Covid era, most vulnerable did not get the assistance, and it was politicised. We don't even know the criteria that was used because most elected officials were not aware," says Alice Kuveya, director for Chitungwiza Residents Trust.
"There is no data privacy, hence residents end up receiving messages from political parties they're not affiliated with. Yes, some residents were picked, and we realised they're all from a certain political party."
The Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET), a national organisation representing low-income vendors in the small to medium enterprises (SME) sector, has raised concerns over data collection and storage methods.
"I'm not convinced that using an algorithm to determine aid eligibility is the most effective method, especially considering the reports of people being left without assistance," said Samuel Wadzai, VISET director.
"From a data privacy perspective, I have concerns about how the government is collecting, storing, and using personal data to inform their algorithm. Transparency and accountability are crucial to ensure that data is being handled responsibly.
He said the government needs to implement aid distribution methods that are fair, efficient, and transparent.
Masvingo Residents and Ratepayers Association (MRRA) chairman Thomas Mbetu said the use of the algorithm is likely to promote bias, which has been synonymous with past pandemics and droughts, leaving more people without aid.
"I believe that the algorithmic method of identifying individuals eligible for aid is not a viable approach. This method faces two significant challenges. Firstly, it is prone to manipulation, which can lead to discrimination against certain groups," said Mbetu.
"Secondly, there are serious concerns regarding security and privacy, as storing sensitive data poses substantial risks. During the Covid-19 pandemic, some of our members benefited from government transfers. However, as I have highlighted, the lack of transparency in the process remains a critical issue."
Meanwhile, more people are projected to slide into food insecurity following funding constraints on the World Food Program (WFP) that are seeing it close their Southern Africa offices.
WFP has been running a cash transfer program, the Lean Assistance Program aimed at supporting families during food shortages.
