Politicisation of Government aid is raising temperatures
throughout Masvingo Province and social conflicts are emerging with those
denied their rights now increasingly standing up and fighting back.
There was pandemonium at Chinanaira Business Center in
Nyazvidzi in Gutu two weeks ago when alleged MDC Alliance supporters who were
denied Government aid for a long time invaded a GMB lorry and grabbed a 50kg
bag of fertiliser and 10kg of sorghum seed each before daring Zanu PF leaders
to challenge them.
After failing to reign them in, Zanu PF leadership which
was caught flat footed then asked the ‘invaders’ to pay $11 for transport for
the inputs but they refused arguing that they were denied aid for a long time.
A Grain Marketing Board employee who had brought the inputs
did nothing.
MDC organiser for Gutu North, Philip Mahachi told The
Mirror that the incident was spontaneous and nasty. He said it was fortunate
that there was no violence as harsh words were thrown at the Zanu PF leadership
including Ward 4 councillor Felix Tagwirei Garirai and Zanu PF branch chairman
Felix Mareva.
Analysts who spoke to The Mirror warned Government to tread
carefully on issues to do with hungry masses and food. They said unfair
distribution of resources has been a source of civil war in many countries and
people must not be taken for granted.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said they
are inundated by cases of food politicisation coming from thoughtout the
country.
Mahachi said that the mood in villages was so bad that villagers are prepared to go to jail
than watch ‘thugs’ operating under the guise of Zanu PF unfairly enriching
themselves through State resources.
He said Zanu PF leadership were getting aid over and over
again when many vulnerable people including 80-year-olds and orphans who are
known to be starving are getting nothing.
What irked villagers more is that the Zanu PF leadership
was abusing social welfare schemes so much that they were selling inputs.
“The GMB lorry arrived and Tagwirei as usual tasked Zanu PF
branch chairpersons to allocate food and this is illegal in the first place.
They started calling off the same names that they have given aid over and over
again and that is when people moved forward and collected fair shares for
themselves.
“It was very tense,” said Mahachi.
Zimbabwe has already been condemned by Hilal Elver of the
United Nations for politicising food aid . There are threats that sanctions
against the country are will remain as long as Zanu PD continues to use food as
a weapon against the hungry masses.
Two Zanu PF MPs Farai Musikavanhu of Chiredzi West and
Yeukai Simbanegavi of Gutu North have since publicly declared that there will
be no food aid for MDC supporters. Masvingo Mirror
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