MAKONDE - Villagers are in dire need of food aid from non-governmental organisations following the destruction of their crops by stray elephants from a local conservative farm and a shortage of adequate inputs.
Following the seizure of white-owned farms by the Zanu (PF) government in 2000, an erected security fence at a Conservative safari farm near Kanyaga has been vandalised, allowing the elephants to roam freely in areas where small-scale farmers live.
Villagers interviewed by The Zimbabwean last week confirmed that elephants were wrecking havoc and that there were in need of food handouts. They blamed new farmers resettled under the chaotic land reform programme for vandalizing the boundary fence for resell in nearby towns.
We could not access inputs last farming season as the programme was heavily politicized by chiefs. Those who were perceived to be MDC-T supporters had their names deleted from the inputs list, said one villager from Gambuli.
The most affected wards are 8,14,15,16 and 18 where they are no dams and boreholes for villagers to embark in livelihood sustenance programmes such as horticulture.
Villagers said their call for help from Parks and Wildlife Management fell on deaf ears as they were told that it was the responsibility of the local Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) and the Makonde Rural District Council.
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