Posted on 07/03/2002 9:51:15 AM PDT by Clive
Cops blame MDC for shortages
Harare - Zimbabwean police have accused the opposition of causing massive food shortages in a campaign of "economic sabotage" aimed at creating anarchy in the country, the state-run Herald newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The United Nations has said about half of Zimbabwe's 12.5 million people are in danger of going hungry this year after drought and government seizures of white-owned commercial farms nearly destroyed the recent grain harvest.
However, the police statement blamed the staggering shortages on the opposition.
"It is believed the underlying cause is economic sabotage maliciously intended to discredit the lawfully elected government of Zimbabwe," the statement in the Herald said. "The artificial shortages, in the minds of detractors, would ferment or agitate the masses to engage in looting and defiance of the law."
Opposition leaders believe that "would lead to an ungovernable state of anarchy, which would pave the way for the overthrow of the government", according to the statement.
Police said they had mounted roadblocks across the country "to cut off supply routes and trafficking" and prevent the illegal export of staples.
Paving way for state of emergency
They urged security forces be given more sweeping powers of search and demanded the government take control of production and distribution of food and ensure "patriotic Zimbabweans" occupy key positions in strategic enterprises.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, the greatest threat to President Robert Mugabe's rule since he led the nation to independence in 1980, said the government was trying to find a scapegoat for its economic mismanagement and disastrous agricultural polices. About 95% of white commercial farms have been targeted for confiscation.
MDC spokesperson Learnmore Jongwe said the government appeared to be paving the way for a state of emergency, which would give the increasingly authoritarian Mugabe even greater powers.
Zimbabwe's police have repeatedly been accused of bias against the opposition during the country's two-year political crisis. Human rights groups said police often stood by passively while ruling party militants attacked white farmers and opposition supporters. In some cases, the police helped the militants, they said.
Before March presidential elections this year, police commissioner Augustine Chihuri said he would refuse to recognise a victory by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Mugabe was declared the winner in a poll that many international and domestic observers called deeply flawed.
Confiscated staple food
According to the Herald report on Wednesday, police said they had confiscated staple food worth Z$37 million (US$55 000 at the unofficial exchange rate) from black market traders working at the behest of the MDC.
The Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday it needed to import $50 million worth of grain to meet even the country's 400 000 metric ton interim needs. The United Nations said Zimbabwe would need to import about 1.8 million metric tons to make it through the year.
Meanwhile, supplies of maize meal, sugar, cooking oil, milk, salt and bread have nearly disappeared from supermarket shelves. Bakers said Wednesday they needed 50 000 metric tons of imported wheat to relieve bread shortages.
And church workers reported that 27 children have already died of malnutrition-related illnesses in the remote northwest of the country.
Last week, Mugabe accused a company partially owned by Anglo American of hoarding salt and threatened to seize the mining giant's local assets.
The company, National Foods, said it had been holding the imported salt while it negotiated with officials for the right to sell it at a price higher than the one mandated by the government. That price was far below its costs. Officials have since seized the 2 000 metric tons of salt.
National Foods head Ian Kind said his company's experience could hurt efforts to import commodities. - Sapa-AP
Whew! I thought they were going to blame the West here for a second
Why do I get the feeling that Carville and Begala have been advising Mugabe behind the scenes?
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