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WE applaud Government, through Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira for setting the record straight with regards to distribution of food aid. It is a fact that Zimbabwe, like other Southern African nations, experienced poor rains, which culminated in a drought. On February 4, 2016, President Mugabe declared the 2015-16 agricultural season a national disaster due to the dire effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon that saw the country receiving normal to below normal rainfall. The declaration was aimed at mobilising resources to alleviate food shortages. It also sought to undertake the tasks of ensuring and supervising the programme of effective delivery of relief supplies for people and livestock as well as emergency irrigation programmes.
Ever since then Government, working hand-in- glove with its development partners, has imported maize for distribution to the needy. President Mugabe is on record as saying no one will starve, urging non-partisan distribution of food aid.
There have been reports, especially from the opposition, and in particular the MDC-T, suggesting distribution of food aid was being done on partisan basis. This saw MDC–T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai writing to United Nations Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon protesting what he termed politicisation of food aid by the Government.
Mr Tsvangirai claimed Zanu-PF denied his starving supporters food aid. Mr Tsvangirai did not provide Mr Ban with an iota of evidence to buttress his claims. We are told Mr Ban has since responded to Mr Tsvangirai through a top humanitarian official in his office, Edmund Mulet, pledging further food assistance to Zimbabwe regardless of Mr Tsvangirai’s claims.
Ever since then Mr Tsvangirai has been moving around the country inciting his supporters to cause mayhem by grabbing food aid at distribution points.
Addressing a rally at Man’a Growth Point in Gutu recently, the MDC-T leader told his supporters: “Now when the food has been availed, they start to say they want Zanu-PF supporters only, as if they are the only ones with stomachs. Who does not need food? We all need it. We must share it equally and in a fair manner. When they try to sideline you, refuse and grab the food and see if they will arrest all of us for demanding food. We want the world to know that people in Zimbabwe were arrested for demanding their food . . . You should make sure that the food is distributed fairly and (President) Mugabe should know that the food does not belong to Zanu- PF, but to Government.”
It is clear from Mr Tsvangirai’s remarks that it is the opposition party that is politicising a transparent food aid distribution programme so as to attract global news headlines. It is sad too that Mr Tsvangirai wants to capitalise on such a humanitarian situation to gain political mileage.
We do hereby challenge Mr Tsvangirai to prove his claims. In these days of social media, the alleged partisan distribution of food aid could have gone viral by now. We also dissuade the MDC-T leader from abusing our youths by inciting them to sabotage Government’s food aid distribution programme.
It is clear that the MDC-T is trying to use the food situation in Zimbabwe to paint Zanu-PF bad. Why would Mr Tsvangirai write to Mr Ban when the easiest he could do was to visit Minister Mupfumira’s office with the evidence? Is that route not shorter?
This is why Minister Mupfumira, whose ministry is responsible for the food distribution programme, has dismissed as “nonsense” the claims by Mr Tsvangirai. Minister Mupfumira also challenged those with evidence of partisan distribution of food aid to come forward with information, so that offenders are brought to book.
“We have said drought or hunger does not differentiate between this or that other political party. As Government we are supposed to give food to all people who need food and our ministry is involved in the actual distribution . . . There is nowhere people have been required to produce their political party cards in order to get food. If somebody tries to do that, we have said we will deal with them accordingly,” said Minister Mupfumira.
We encourage Mr Tsvangirai to be honest enough and furnish Government with evidence of the alleged partisan distribution of food, so that corrective measures are taken immediately. Hunger knows no political slogan and if any such acts are happening corrective measures must be taken. So please, Mr Tsvangirai do not play to the gallery when Minister Mupfumira’s door is open to entertain such grievances and to proffer solutions.
Online Reporter