VUMBA - War vets here are blocking food aid to HIV and AIDS orphans offered by an NGO, demanding the children join the Zanu (PF) youth league first.The area has a scheme were children receive food hampers on a weekly basis. However, the war vets led by John Hove and Nhamo Gondo, have since taken over the project and are demanding party cards before anyone can get food.
In an interview with The Zimbabwean on Monday the Zimbabwe AIDS Support Programme (ZASP) Projects Manager, Farai Chitsonde, said:
We were told to do our feeding programmes through the Zanu (PF) youth office in the area. The youths said our organisation had an agenda of effecting regime change by giving food to the poor. Therefore, they have hijacked our programme.
He added that the NGO had already ended the feeding programme.
It is unfortunate that our operations have been politicized. Innocent vulnerable children are suffering as a result of this. There are genuine vulnerable children who urgently need food, but some of them are languishing in hunger as they have been denied food after their guardians have been accused of supporting MDC, he said.
Guardians interviewed confirmed that they were being asked to produce Zanu (PF) cards before being given the food.
Agnes Chitoro who looks after four vulnerable children said: It is shocking that we are now victimized for supporting MDC. This is not Zanu (PF)s food. The food belongs to a donor and it is meant to be given to orphans and why should these Zanu (PF) youths involved in this programme?
There are reports that the overzealous Zanu (PF) youths are taking the food for their personal use at the expense of the vulnerable children.
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