ZANU PF MPs Question Fairness Of Food Aid Distribution Process
The government’s food aid distribution programme for villagers is shrouded in controversy, with reports indicating that some individuals are receiving grain while many others are being left out.
During a Q&A session on Wednesday, Murewa South Member of Parliament Noah Mangondo raised concerns with Acting Speaker of the National Assembly Raymore Machingura, saying that there are serious issues with the distribution process. Said Mangondo:
People who received food aid in April and those who received in June are the ones who are receiving food for phase two that we started in August. What is government doing so that food is distributed to all vulnerable families?
Public Service and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Maruva Mercy Dinha explained to legislators that when the government started the distribution programme, the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC) had yet to produce its assessment report. She said:
When we started distributing food in April, we were given the names of the beneficiaries by sabhukus, Village heads. ZIMLAC had not yet finished doing its assessments.
The first phase started in May to July. We did not use the ZIMLAC results because it was stated that from July to September, people who were supposed to receive food aid when we started, were 6 100 000.
Dinha said her ministry did not revert to the ZIMLAC results because people would have been disadvantaged and only a few would have been given food aid.
She added that the government resorted to the number that it had been given in the first phase. Said Dinha:
These people are the people who were considered to be vulnerable. When this assessment was done, people had meetings with their Sabhukus and agreed on the families to receive food aid.
However, Mangondo questioned Dinha’s response, arguing that the same individuals receiving food aid are not representative of the broader community affected by the drought.
Dinha told Machingura that those who received food aid first were deemed the most vulnerable and would continue to receive assistance until the programme concluded.
Other MPs joined the debate, including Tendai Nyabani (ZANU PF) from Rushinga and Richard Ziki (ZANU PF) from Hurungwe Central. Said Ziki:
Some people did not get food during the second phase who were supposed to get food in their wards but by July 31, those people were removed from the list for not receiving their previous allocations.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi admitted there are anomalies. He said:
Something went wrong such that not all the places got food, but it does not mean that if you did not benefit, we should go back in retrospect because the time has passed and you are alive.
We are giving for the next three months not to go back as if you have died. If you are still alive, we will start where we are.
Zimbabwe suffered its worst drought in over 40 years in the past season caused by El Nino leaving more than 9.2 people in need of food aid in both urban and rural areas.
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