Food aid row … Auxillia Mnangagwa
The constituency falls under Auxillia Mnangagwa and is among areas in the Midlands province which are in dire need of food aid as a result of the drought affecting the country.
MDC-T officials alleged that its supporters in Lalapanzi Wadzanai ward 22 are being sidelined by Zanu PF councillor for the area, Tapera Dzitira from accessing food aid donated by non-governmental organisation, Plan International.
Dzitira’s mobile was not available for comment.
“The Plan’s food aid is being distributed at Hillvile Secondary School every month end since December and people get maize and some money to buy other things like beans, cereals, cooking oil among others,” Gibson Masvanhise, the MDC-T’s Zibagwe district chairperson said.
“But all MDC-T supporters have been excluded on the list of those who benefit, many of them are in dire need of assistance because there is painful hunger in the district and its so disturbing.”
The MDC-T losing candidate in the 2013 parliamentary elections said he discovered that his party members were being denied food when he visited the area following up on projects he assisted the villagers to set up.
Masvanhise said it was unfortunate that Zanu PF was denying people food on the basis of party politics despite the starvation faced by many villagers.
“I visited the constituency over the weekend to follow up on chicken projects that I initiated there and got shocked by Zanu (PF)’s lack of moral conscience to deny people food when they are on the verge of starvation,” he said.
The opposition official accused Zanu PF structures of interfering with donor-driven food aid programmes.
“We call upon the donors involved to ensure that they micro-supervise the identification of beneficiaries to ensure that those who are actually in need are duly targeted in the food assistance programme.â€
He added that said MDC-T would mobilise relevant authorities over the issue.
Post published in: Featured