President Morgan Tsvangirai, who is also the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, last week heard how ZANU PF is withholding food aid from Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) members in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces. The villagers, who are facing yet another dry agricultural season, said selective distribution of seed and fertilizer was one of the major reasons for their failure to reap significantly this season.  

They told President Tsvangirai how Zanu PF officials have taken control of food aid from local non-governmental organizations and distributed it only to the dying party’s members.  “We are starving here,” Mrs. Ndhlela told President Tsvangirai during one of   his meetings at Selonga business centre, in Gwanda. “We have no food.

The major problem is that when food aid is distributed we are not given because they say we are MDC members. Lots of food is being distributed by aid organizations but we get nothing.” The Premier undertook a food assessment tour that saw him visit Matabeleland and Midlands provinces where he saw “a catastrophic food situation” as climatic conditions and man-made actions combine to pull down a once vibrant agricultural sector. “If donors bring money, the Zanu PF officials, and chiefs steal and give only to their members door to door. We are in trouble, we want the Prime Minister to help us,” said Abel Msimanga. The MDC President saw how the ill-planned resettlement programme decimated the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy and how climatic conditions   have brought yet another sad chapter of food shortages.   

After visiting Matabeleland North and South, and Midlands provinces, Prime Minister Tsvangirai said he would urge Government to develop a drought mitigation plan as a matter of urgency. At Mataga growth point in Mberengwa, the Prime Minister was told by several members who thronged the centre that chiefs were complicit in the selective distribution of food aid. The three provinces are faced with severe food shortages as they received less than normal rains. Most of the crops are wilting while grazing for livestock is slowly   running out. The Prime Minister was told that food stocks were likely to run out by July, but a critical situation had arisen in Gwanda and Mberengwa where food aid is required urgently.

Prime Minister Tsvangirai said at least US$500 million will be required for food aid this year. “We all have witnessed a catastrophic  situation in terms of the drought in this part  of the country,” President Tsvangirai said.  “These provinces are drought stricken areas.  We already face an immediate food need.  So we do not have much time and therefore some capacity must be built to be able to alleviate this problem. “The challenge we have got is that of infrastructure rehabilitation which certainly would go a long way to ensure that the food situation improves in this country,” he added.  As Head of Government, President Tsvangirai is responsible for policy formulation and implementation.  The three-day trip will give the transitional administration an accurate insight into the food situation.  The MDC President said he would move government to establish a mechanism to mitigate the effects of the disaster. “I’m sure we are faced with a drought disaster. It’s already in the plans of government to come up with a drought mitigation plan,” he said.