Lucky has since ran out of six members of the syndicate who
had since been arrested and remanded in custody to August 01, 2023, for
stealing about 170 bags of maize which were supposed to have been distributed
in Ward 15, Gutu East Constituency.
The syndicate, which is responsible for safekeeping and
distribution of the food aid to the vulnerable communities that are grappling
with the El Nino-induced drought, took advantage of their privileged positions
to steal, and in the process exposed the partisan, porous and week system being
used to distribute the relief aid.
Admond Mavhangira (45), Allen Munhamo (32) (both police
officers stationed at Bhasera Police camp), Calvin Munhamo (38) an Agritex
Officer based at Bhasera, Daniel Charungwa (45), Costa Fire (29) a businessman
who resides at Bhasera business center and Shepherd Masundidzire, a truck
driver are currently in custody and will appear in court on August 01 for
continuation of trial.
Others being implicated include Gutu East MP Benjamin
Ganyiwa, Ward 36 Councilor Annamaria Zivai and village head Kenias Mushoriwa.
The trio, however, vehemently denied the allegations.
Ganyiwa said he was aware of the alleged theft of food aid,
but he was not directly involved in the food aid distribution.
“I have heard the allegations about food aid theft in my
constituency and the names of people involved. Of course my name has been
mentioned among the culprits but I am not directly involved in the distribution
of food aid. I work with a lot of people especially those from my constituency
and chances are high that some takes advantage of that proximity for
namedropping. I don’t know anything and I don’t know why people want to drag me
in issues that I know nothing about,” said Ganyiwa.
Contacted for comment, Zivai said she was not part of the
syndicate but confirmed that there were villages that received the maize though
they were not on the beneficiaries’ list.
“My hands are clean; there was only a challenge where some
villagers who received the maize at Mushwayi were not on the list from the
District Development Coordinator (DDC)’s office,” Zivai said.
“I was then left with 73 bags, 13 of which I gave to my
people in Mushwayi and handed them over to Calvin Munhamo. I trusted him since
he works with the MP when they are doing aid distribution in various centres. I
further confirmed with the leadership if they had received the maize and they
acknowledged receipt,” she added.
Village head Kenias Mushoriwa, who is also implicated
distanced himself from the syndicate saying the maize he is selling at his shop
is his own.
“I was already selling maize at my shop before the maize
for the food relief came. I work as a guard at the clinic where the maize was
kept. Those who asked me to keep the maize called their party members to guard
the trucks overnight and distributed the maize in the morning,” said Mushoriwa.
“After distribution, nothing was left behind and they told
me to collect the spilled grains as appreciation, so I was shocked by the news
on social media that I had stolen 10 tonnes of maize because there is nowhere I
can keep all that maize in my house,” Mushoriwa added.
Gutu East villagers who spoke to this publication on
condition of anonymity for fear of victimization said it was this exact way of
doing things that creates loopholes for theft of food aid meant for them,
saying a lot more could be happening behind the scene.
“Ruling party leadership use these loopholes to steal food
aid, because the distribution criteria is to their own discretion, so how do
you think it is going to be fair? Even government workers can take advantage of
the partisan approach to food distribution, like we have seen in this case,”
the source said.
According to sources who spoke to this publication, about
30 tonnes of maize were stolen in the constituency as the food aid was only
given to a few individuals and the rest was seized by the suspects and others
who are yet to be arrested.
“On June 13, when there was another distribution, most
people did not get any maize but there were some trucks that returned with some
bags and offloaded them at a house near Mutambwi School.
“The distribution was done last month but no one signed for
what they received. They are only coming back now to have people sign for the
maize and in the process forcing others who did not receive anything to sign as
well as forging names and signatures,” revealed the sources.
For the six that appeared before Gutu magistrate, the State
represented by prosecutor Rachel Murape alleges that on June 13 2024, at around
1600hours and at Alheit Business Center, Bhasera, Mavhangira, Hamandishe and
Masundidzire were ordered by Apollonia Masakure who is a Social Development
Officer to escort a truck containing 370 bags (50kgs each) of maize grain to
ZRP Bhasera in the company of Shalom Marufu and Ndinatse Madzadzure of Mufudze
village under Chief Chimombe, Gutu.
Madzadzure and Marufu then left the truck in the hands of
Mavhangira, Hamandishe and Masundidzire. On the same date at around 2130 hours
the three hatched a plan to steal the maize grain. It is alleged that
Mavhangira, Hamandishe and Masundidzire then went to the police station and
drove the truck to Chimombe clinic. On the way they met with Munhamo, Charungwa
and Fire. The six then took 170 bags and offloaded them at Chimombe Clinic,
leaving only 200 bags in the truck.
The 200 bags were then handed over to Oswell Rwezuro and
Pedzisai Future who are the ward 17 secretary and chairperson respectively.
On June 18 during the distribution of the maize, Patience
Mundondo, a Social Development Officer observed that the truck had offloaded
200 bags of maize which resulted in a shortage of maize to the villagers. She
then notified Masakure who then carried out an audit on June 21 and discovered
that the truck had a shortage of 170 bags. TellZimNews
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