The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) says political discrimination in the distribution of government food aid has been used as a tool to manipulate vulnerable populations, exacerbating systemic human rights violations.
This finding was revealed in ZPP’s October 2024 monthly monitoring report, as the nation grapples with a severe El Niño-induced drought.
Rural areas are receiving grain, while urban areas are receiving cash assistance. However, ZPP documented 13 cases of politicised aid distribution, where food aid was used to benefit ZANU PF supporters, exposing the party’s control over food allocation systems.
According to ZPP, the 13 documented cases are just a small fraction of the widespread political abuse occurring in the distribution of food aid across the country. Reads the report in part:
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The ruling party’s control over food aid allows it to weaponise hunger, denying assistance to opposition supporters and targeting perceived dissenters.
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ZPP said the practice of politicising food aid violates international human rights laws that protect the right to food and freedom from discrimination.
Rural communities, already struggling with poverty and drought, face coercion to support the ruling party; failure to comply can result in denial of essential aid.
Reports indicate incidents of forced participation in ruling party activities and public renunciation of opposition ties as prerequisites for accessing food aid.
The report also says in Silobela’s Ward 23, a man was denied aid after questioning the political nature of a meeting.
Traditional leaders are also involved, as many are pressured to align with the ruling party, compromising their role as neutral community guardians.
The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) documented cases in Manicaland where traditional leaders and local politicians hoarded food aid, diverting resources from those in need.
In Buhera South’s Ward 24, a councillor allegedly diverted 40 bags of maize intended for the elderly, selling some at night and giving the rest to unqualified relatives.
The politicization of food aid worsens existing inequalities, erodes trust, and puts marginalized groups—especially women, children, and persons with disabilities—at greater risk. Said ZPP:
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This insidious manipulation of food aid perpetuates a culture of fear, repression, and impunity. It undermines Zimbabwe’s democratic foundations and the fundamental human rights of its citizens, perpetuating poverty and deepening inequality.
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In Zimbabwe, a group called ZPP found that the ruling party, ZANU PF, and traditional leaders are discriminating in the distribution of food aid. This means they are only giving food to people who support their party, leaving others hungry. This is against international laws that protect everyone's right to food. People in rural areas are forced to support the ruling party to get food aid, even if they don't want to. Some traditional leaders are also taking food aid for themselves or their relatives instead of giving it to those who need it. This unfair treatment makes things worse for poor and vulnerable people in Zimbabwe.

ZANU PF, Traditional Leaders Accused Of Political Discrimination In Food Aid Distribution

Supporters of opposition political parties in Zimbabwe are reportedly being removed from the lists of beneficiaries for food aid and farming inputs distribution in rural areas.
According to the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) Monthly Monitoring Report for September 2024, the distribution of food aid is occurring along partisan lines.
The report highlights nine separate incidents in which a total of 85 individuals were denied aid due to their political affiliations. Reads part of the report:
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In one of the 19 villages in Ward 8 in Vungu district, only 14 families have been benefiting from government-sponsored food aid in a village of about 65 families.
The narration from some of the victims indicates that when a decision to increase the number of beneficiary households was made, instead of adding from the rest of the families in the village, additional beneficiaries from the ruling party were added from other villages because the rest of the families were deemed unfit due to their political affiliations.
One of the victims narrated: “We are not getting the food rations because they say go and feed from your Father’s plate. We are not even told about the distribution but sometimes we are told by people that our names were on the list and were called out but we do not get the food, meaning someone is benefitting on our behalf”.
In Mwenezi North’s Ward 4, Kraal Head Chitemere is accused of only issuing the Pfumbvudza inputs solely to ruling party supporters, further marginalizing those who do not align with the political elite.
In Mwenezi North, Ward 4 Kraal Head Chitemere of Village 2, discriminately excluded two families from potential beneficiaries of fertiliser under the Pfumvudza supporting scheme stating that they never attend ZANU PF meetings and were not participating in the party activities. He declared the seedling program was for ruling party supporters only.
The families, facing a hostile environment, requested a letter from Chitemere to relocate to other villages but were denied, labelling them CCC members and claiming their movement to other villages would negatively impact others.
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Traditional leaders are reportedly forcing villagers to participate in labour-intensive infrastructure projects, presenting these initiatives as part of a “food for work” program. Reads the report:
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These have been noted in Vungu district in Midlands, Masvingo North, Bikita East, Gutu Central and Mutare North among others. In Ward 10, Mutare North in Manicaland, kraalhead Phanuel Hama Marange is leading the villagers who benefit from the social welfare distributed food aid in making damaged roads.
The villagers work with bare hands and use their own tools such as shovels, wheelbarrows and hoes.
Reports also state that villagers are fined US$1 should they absent themselves. In a similar incident in Bikita South in Masvingo, villagers who wanted to benefit from food aid were assigned duties under the food for work program and worked for two months but have not received the promised aid.
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Opposition supporters in Zimbabwe are being denied food aid and farming inputs because of their political affiliations. The Zimbabwe Peace Project found that 85 individuals were denied help because of their links to opposition parties. Traditional leaders are making villagers work on infrastructure projects in exchange for food aid, with some facing fines if they don't participate. The situation is worsening for opposition supporters in rural areas, with even aid distribution being done along party lines. This unfair treatment is causing hardship for those who don't support the ruling party.

Opposition Supporters Denied Food Aid In Rural Areas | Report

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&amp;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:
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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?
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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:
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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:
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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.
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Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi admitted there are anomalies. He said:
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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.
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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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The government is giving out food aid to help people, but some are not getting any. Some Members of Parliament are saying the distribution is not fair. They say some people who got food before are getting it again, while others are left out. The government says they did not use a certain report to decide who gets food aid. They say they are helping the most vulnerable people first. But some MPs think more people should get food aid. The government admits there are problems, but they will focus on helping those in need now. Many people in Zimbabwe need food aid because of a bad drought.

ZANU PF MPs Question Fairness Of Food Aid Distribution Process

Members of Parliament (MPs) have demanded a fair distribution of food aid in their respective constituencies amid reports some deserving households are reportedly being left out, reported <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/mps-demand-ministerial-statement-over-unfair-distribution-of-food-aid-deserving-households-starving/">NewZimbabwe.com</a>.
Zvimba East MP Kudakwashe Decide Mananzva (ZANU PF), said not all households were benefiting from the current distribution exercise. He said:
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We are grateful for the maize that is being distributed but my question is, maize is coming but only a few are benefitting.
One family can take up to six bags whilst another does not. What measures are you taking to ensure that everyone gets the maize grain because everyone is facing starvation?
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Mercy Dinha, the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, said 6.1 million people in Zimbabwe’s rural areas needed grain assistance.  She said:
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At the moment, there are 6 100 000 beneficiaries of grain in rural areas. People are receiving grain for three months allocation at one go.
One person receives 22.5 kgs which means, a father and mother plus children which is 22.5 times six.
That is why some receive a number of bags whilst some have not received them yet. That is an allocation of the chosen beneficiaries and the criteria has been that there are the most needy at that moment. They are considered as needing the grain at that moment.
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However, Mananzva questioned the distribution criteria being used as some households have been getting maize for previous months. He said:
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The maize that is being allocated in six months, is it in advance or it is backdated? If it is backdated, it means that people have survived, why do we not give grain to people in advance so that we all benefit?
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Dinha explained the criteria were cost-saving in terms of transport. She said:
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We have been distributing grain for May, June and July. The criteria reduce costs, especially for transport as well as administration and ensuring that people do not travel up and down to receive the maize.
At the moment, the allocations are for May, June and July. After that, we start distributing for the next three months; so, it will be in batches of three months till March next year.
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Chikanga MP, Lynnette Karenyi-Kore (CCC), argued that the government should ensure that every household receives at least some basic food assistance, rather than the current approach which appears to be leaving out certain communities. Said Karenyi-Kore:
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According to their assessment, it shows that in rural as well as in urban areas, people are starving.
So, it means that when one person goes with six bags, others get nothing. The Hon. minister admitted that some get as much as six bags, but the fact of the matter is that everyone is starving.
As government, why do they not distribute the maize to everyone for the three months’ batch? It is better to give a bag per household than distributing six bags to one household.
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Dinha said the criteria were being used and as a rule gazetted by the government, if that had to be changed, it meant the government must sit down to change the system and ensure that everyone benefits and ensure each household gets a bag of maize.
Mananzva argued that Parliament is part of the government and it never agreed on the alleged procedure being followed. He said:
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If you say government laid down that procedure, we are the government and we are saying in Mutoko, no one at all received rains.
So, we want to know how you are going to distribute the maize expeditiously because everyone is starving. The situation is dire out there.
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Dinha promised to work with the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development Minister, Anxious Masuka, to act according to MPs’ suggestions.
Goromonzi West legislator Beatrice Karimatsenga-Nyamupinga (ZANU PF) called on the responsible minister to issue a formal ministerial statement addressing the concerns around the grain distribution process. Said Karimatsenga-Nyamupinga:
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The two ministries concerned can bring a ministerial statement to this House because we cannot play with an issue that has to do with hunger.
Hunger can lead people to do anything and it is a security threat to have hunger in the country.
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Zimbabwe is facing one of the most severe droughts in living memory, caused by the El Niño weather pattern. This crisis has left about half the population in need of food aid.
In April 2024, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a national disaster due to the drought and appealed for $2 billion in international assistance to help millions of Zimbabweans facing hunger.
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Members of Parliament are upset that not all deserving families are getting enough food aid in Zimbabwe. Some families get more bags of maize while others get none. The government says they have a criteria to decide who gets what in order to save money and make distribution easier. MPs want every family to get at least one bag of maize to help with the hunger crisis in the country. The government promised to work with MPs to improve the distribution system. Zimbabwe is facing a severe drought, leaving many people in need of food aid. President Mnangagwa declared a national disaster and asked for international help.

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