Zimbabwe -- Food distribution politicised in Gwanda

Movement for Democratic Change (Zim) ^ | July 18, 2002 | MDC Press

[Clive]

The MDC has been made aware of further evidence of the illegitimate Mugabe regime using food as a political weapon in the Gwanda district of Matabeleland South Province.

On Friday the 12th July 2002 a meeting of the "Gwanda drought relief and food distribution committee" was convened in Gwanda. It is pertinent to note that Gwanda town is situated in Gwanda North Constituency whose present Member of Parliament is Paul Temba Nyathi, an MDC MP. The MDC is in possession of the agenda of the meeting that supports the assertions made in this statement.

The ZANU (PF) MP for Beitbridge, a neighbouring constituency, Kembo Mohadi, chaired and addressed the meeting. The meeting was also attended by the local Chairman of ZANU (PF) and War Veterans. No member of the MDC was present nor were any invited or made aware of the meeting. Representatives of the GMB, Gwanda Rural District Council, World Vision, Organisation Help and the Gwanda Municipality attended the meeting.

During the course of the meeting Mr Mohadi made, inter alia, the following remarks, namely that:

NGOs were there at "government's" invitation and were not doing the feeding, "government" was;

NGOs were only involved because of the agreement between the WFP/ UNDP and the "lawfully elected government";

NGOs were only involved as implementing partners and accordingly would have to follow "government" directives;

He wanted a list of all equipment used by NGOs to distribute food as "government" would be taking the same over in due course;

"wearing his political hat" he would be very unhappy if NGOs were the sole distributors of food in certain wards and asked for comment from the ZANU (PF) members present as to whether they would be happy with such an arrangement, inferring that they may lose political control in such areas;

He was a member of a "Cabinet" Committee on Social Services Action and that the meeting he was chairing was one of many similar meetings taking place countrywide.

It is reported that Mr Mohadi displayed an aggressive bullying attitude throughout the meeting. The intention of the meeting appeared to be an attempt to find out what the NGOs were doing with a view to establish ZANU (PF) control over food distribution. A very clear objective to control and even take over NGO feeding programmes was evident.

This meeting is yet a further example of ZANU (PF)'s intention to use food as a political weapon. It is ironic that the meeting should have taken place in the very same province that ZANU (PF) imposed a curfew in 1984 and used food then as a political weapon against members of ZAPU, which Mr Mohadi was a member of then.

It is outrageous that the Hon Paul T Nyathi MP was not invited to the meeting. The famine facing Zimbabwe is a national crisis and local MDC MPs should be included in all such meetings countrywide.

The MDC calls upon the WFP/ UNDP and all NGOs to insist that the MDC be included in all such planning meetings. If the MDC is not included food will continue to be used as a political weapon throughout the country. There is clear evidence that MDC members countrywide are being excluded from feeding programmes. There is further evidence that ZANU (PF) is seeking to control feeding programmes countrywide so as to bolster their support.

Food should never be used as a political weapon. Whilst we are gratified to note that the Director of the WFP warned Robert Mugabe last week at the AU meeting that the WFP would show zero-tolerance against the regime if food was used as a political weapon, we remain concerned that Mugabe's assurance that this would not happen was accepted too readily. The Mugabe regime has demonstrated several times in the past few years that its assurances cannot be trusted (the Abuja agreement being but one example). The WFP must now insist that the MDC be included in all decision-making bodies to ensure that food is distributed to all Zimbabweans irrespective of their political beliefs or ethnicity.

Paul Themba Nyathi
Shadow Minister of Local Government

[Clive]

-