No Western Food Aid

ter of Lands and Land Reform Didymus Mutasa claimed Zimbabwe could “develop and prosper without the aid of Western countries – if people are united and share a common vision”.
The shocking statement comes hardly a month after the UN tabled a US$257 million consolidated appeal to avert a looming humanitarian disaster in Zimbabwe because President Mugabe’s government failed to alert donors of the scale of the disaster.
The government had not quantified its needs until it was too late to get the long food chain moving, said donors in Harare this week.
But Mutasa appeared oblivious to the imminent crisis, heaping praise on Malaysia whose economy has received little aid from western countries, but is thriving largely due to a vibrant manufacturing and technology sector.
The US, Britain and the European Union provide more than 90 percent of the funding used to feed Zimbabweans. – Own correspondent