During one of the Zunde RaMambo activities, 18 community members failed to attend citing different reasons including, low yields leading people to lose faith in participating in the activities, poor storage facilities and management and also highlighted Zunde RaMambo as a failure because of corrupt leaders using the harvested grains for their personal benefit. They also highlighted that there is no standing committee to make sure all the grains are accounted for. The 18 community members who failed to attend were charged USD 20 each as fine for failing to attend the activity. The 18 community members engaged the COTRAD Zaka Ward 8 Peace Committees to negotiate with the headman and village heads on their behalf over the issue as they indicated the amount charged was not reasonable as the Zunde program was not benefiting the majority.
Zunde RaMambo is a Shona method of growing and storing grain for use during the time when food supplies are either high or low. The harvests are stored in the Chief’s granaries or headman’s homestead as food reserves, which will be distributed to the Chief’s subject in the event of food shortages. The Zunde RaMambo is largely intended to cater to the disadvantaged people in the community; namely those with disabilities, poor people, orphans and vulnerable children, and widows.
In response, Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development (COTRAD) established peace committees, identified the challenge, and successfully engaged the headman and the village heads to discuss and agree on the solutions to the identified challenges. Peace committee leader Tashinga Chida questioned the present village heads and the headman on the operation of Zunde RaMambo and its beneficiaries in the community. Other peace committee members asked how the amount totaling USD 360 charged to the 18 community members was going to be used and also pleaded with the leaders to unpack the Zunde RaMambo program and its beneficiaries to the community so that community members will attend knowing how the program will help the community members.
As a result, the 18 community members who were served with summons for not attending the Zunde RaMambo were later forgiven by the village heads after the peace committees intervened. As a result of the COTRAD Peace committees’ engagement, a committee was selected and put in place to spearhead Zunde RaMambo. COTRAD encouraged the community members and the leaders to peacefully engage whenever a matter arises in the community and proffer solutions without political pressure.
Post published in: Featured