Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Blessing Karubwa
IN a dramatic turn of events last Saturday, a routine food distribution by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Nhlangano Village, Insiza South, Matabeleland South Province, spiralled into chaos as villagers exposed alleged fraud and theft at the hands of local officials.
The unfolding drama has left the community reeling and has ignited a fierce debate about accountability among those entrusted with the welfare of vulnerable citizens.
Lucky Zimvu, a 45-year-old father of six and a more than ten-years Nhlangano villager, spoke exclusively to B-Metroabout the shocking incident that took place during the much-anticipated food distribution.
The WFP was distributing essential food supplies — 10 kgs of mealie meal, beans and cooking oil — to families in need, but the atmosphere quickly turned tense.
At the storm’s centre was a community leader close to the chief, and ward leaders. The man close to the chief acted as a middleman between the villagers and the WFP, but his actions have raised serious questions.
According to Lucky, the man appointed a woman named Grace Moyo, to assist in the distribution, but chaos erupted when Moyo discovered that her national identity card was missing. Without it, she could not claim her own food supplies.
“The whole situation was unbelievable. Grace was helping others get their food, and yet she was marked as having received hers. This is a clear case of fraud, and we couldn’t just sit back and watch.”
The villagers rallied together, demanding answers from the WFP officials who were present. They insisted on investigating the discrepancy, especially after there were claims that there were two people with the same name and surname, suggesting that the mix-up was merely a clerical error.
As tensions escalated, the plot thickened. Around 7:00PM, as villagers waited for Moyo to locate her ID.
“We saw children from the man close to the chief loading Grace’s food hampers into their scotch cut. Thina silokhu simile lapho esasibuthene khona then amasaka omumbu lokudla okwakuholwa kwakubekwe khatshana lathi. Ukudla kwakubekwe ngale kwethu. (We noticed that on the other side, there was mealie-meal and food. It was a blatant act of theft in front of us,” he said, incredulity etched on his face.
In a bold display of unity, the villagers confronted the children, forcing them to return the stolen supplies.
“We couldn’t let this go unchallenged. Our neighbours deserve better, and we will not stand for this kind of corruption.”
Moyo expressed her disappointment after failing to receive her food hamper, allegedly due to someone fraudulently signing for it on her behalf. In a heartfelt plea, she emphasised her urgent need for food and called the relevant authorities to investigate the situation.
“I hurried home after the scandal because I was deeply disappointed. The WPF officials mentioned they would investigate to find out what actually happened.
“The individual who supposedly signed on my behalf is using a name that doesn’t belong to anyone in our village; they go by the signature ‘Soleni,’ but we don’t have anyone by that name in our entire area,” she stated. — @TeamKarubwa.
Online Reporter