Cases of malnutrition are on the rise, doctors say, as the poor resort to eating tree roots and wild fruits in a bid to survive until the next harvest season.
The government is seeking help from international donors as it battles to ease the catastrophic famine, which is partly caused by drought.
In August the UN and the government launched a humanitarian appeal for $331m to assist more than 5.5-million people affected by hunger. Some help has trickled in as a result, but much more is needed.
Among the malnutrition victims are Cynthia Chuma, 39, and her eight-month-old baby, who have been in hospital in Victoria Falls for a month.
If it was not for village health workers, people chosen from within the community to provide basic health care, they could have died.
"I left the other five [children] at home and they are still young with no-one looking after them," Chuma said.
She worries about what the children are eating. She said her nine-year-old son had collapsed at school while she had been away. "I just pray to God but I expect the worst," she said.
Her treatment in hospital has been severely limited due to a strike by doctors and nurses, and lack of supplies such as X-ray film and blood for transfusions.
Chuma wishes there was a better option than to stay in hospital.
"We only came here after health workers referred [my baby daughter] for treatment. If only there was an alternative we would take it. She has a swollen stomach, red eyes and she rapidly lost weight. I was told my child has kwashiorkor. I have been losing weight too and the doctor suggested l also get admitted."
She told the Sunday Times that her family's diet is based on wild fruits and salt.
"I have been feeding them boiled paddy melons. At times we have sadza [maize meal] with salty water or dried okra as relish," she said.
Chuma has no idea where she will find the money to save her daughter's life.
"I honestly don't know if we will go through this. We could die because we are poor," she said.
Government medical officer Dr Michael Jeans, who is stationed at the Victoria Falls hospital, said there had been a sharp increase in malnutrition patients.
Acting district medical officer Dr Fungai Musinami said women and children are the most affected. "As a hospital we have the highest burden of such related cases among children and women," he said.
But Donald Mjiri, spokesperson for the health & child care ministry, said he was not aware of increasing admissions related to malnutrition.
About 200km from Victoria Falls, at Nkayi District Hospital, the Sunday Times spoke to Silethokuhle Mbano, 12, who was forced to drop out of school due to severe weight loss.
Her uncle, Daniel Dube, said supporting her and other children had been difficult because he is unemployed.
First preference is given to certain politically aligned individuals
— Daniel Dube
Their diet is similar to Chuma's.
"We usually cook porridge without oil and sugar and eat melons at night. [Silethokuhle] fell unconscious at school during sports. We took her to hospital where they told us that she had lost too much weight," he said.
Widow Lenziwe Nyoni, 68, from Chief Sinasenkwe village in Binga, eats baobab roots for sustenance.
"I survive on digging baobab roots that l dry before crushing them into powder to make sadza, while we eat its leaves as relish.
"Life is becoming harder every day and our only hope for now is better rains in the upcoming season to get wild fruits," she said.
Nyoni lives with her two grandchildren whose parents left for SA 10 years ago. They do not provide any financial support.
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