via Food aid used to force one-party state, MDC – NewZimbabwe 23/01/2016
THE opposition MDC party has warned Zanu PF to stop using food aid and farming inputs to impose President Robert Mugabe’s long-desired one party state.
Led by former industry minister Welshman Ncube, the warning comes at a time the Zanu PF leadership has conceded the problem and challenged its councillors around the country not to use food aid to lure voters during by-elections.
A recent report by the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) and opposition parties documented more than 70 cases of aid violation across the country with ordinary people being denied food access due to political affiliation.
The country is currently facing severe drought with an estimated 1.5 million people facing hunger mainly in Midlands, Masvingo, Manicaland and Matabeleland provinces.
Opposition parties say their supporters in rural areas of the affected provinces are being left to starve.
MDC spokesperson Kuraone Chihwayi condemned the “partisan distribution of food aid by government”.
“To deny people food aid, meant for the entire nation in this drought period on the basis of which party they belong to is criminal,” said Chihwayi in a statement.
“This is happening particularly in rural areas whereby food aid is being given to Zanu PF card carrying members only while punishing opposition members through denying them food at a time when some people are now living on wild fruits and water just to keep body and soul together is disgraceful and satanic.
“The Zanu PF mickey-mouse games of politics of the stomach each time elections beckon is getting old and the people of Zimbabwe are tired of them.”
Chihwayi said government should follow the dictates of the constitution and stop “trying to starve citizens”.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF national secretary for commissariat Saviour Kasukuwere warned ruling party councillors to stop denying opposition supporters of food.
“Food is meant for all starving Zimbabweans regardless of their political affiliation. Councillors caught doing that (partisan food distribution) will be disciplined,” he said.
COMMENTS
If they failed to make the country a one party state using gukurahundi they will fail on food use. They have only managed to make the country shona by making it almost universal at state institutions. That is part of their grand plan of 1979.
One party state in record or not Zimbabwe is a one party state since 1980. The fact that they been elections and all these various pieces of legislation that appear democratically are just pieces of paper in the face of a dictator called Mugabe. Right in the heart of heart, he stated long time ago that what was tyaken by a barrel of a gun can never be given away by a pen. Sensible as it sound and also appearing to be very true as it will show some kind of weakness on the one who fought for it with a barrel of a gun. But the bottom truth is that ZANU PF is not the only party that fought with a barrel of a gun neither did Mugabe ever hold a gun or even fired one bullet in the face of an enemy rather the very people he is denying freedom are the one who fought for their liberation while he was busy studying in prison and wearing suits. He is the one who actually too that which was taken by a barrel of a gun with a pen. Elections have never been respected in Zimbabwe except the first UN monitored election thus why Mugabe does not want UN monitored election since 1980 to present.