via Mangoma launches ‘livelihoods scheme’ 31 August 2014
THE MDC Renewal Team has launched a “national small livelihoods project” aimed at helping local communities start income generating projects to mitigate the impact of a failing economy and Zanu PF’s failure to deliver the jobs it promised.
The scheme was launched in Manicaland province last Friday by party deputy treasurer general Elton Mangoma who donated over a thousand broiler chicks and stock-feed to Headlands’ Ward 7 area.
Mangoma said the scheme was part of the MDC Renewal Team’s response to Zanu PF’s failure to provide jobs and uplift local communities despite elaborate promises made during the 2013 election.
As the country’s economy continues to struggle a year after the vote, opposition parties have been quick to remind President Robert Mugabe of his Zanu PF party’s promise to create two million new jobs if elected.
“Instead (of new jobs) we have companies closing down and people failing to cope as the economy is not performing,” said the former energy minister.
Mangoma said the scheme was meant to assist thousands of communities across the country who were affected by Zanu PF-sponsored political violence and had their homes or livelihoods destroyed during these atrocities.
Other forms of assistance, Mangoma said, would include paying school fees, buying uniforms for affected children, assisting in getting identity documents for those in need.
In addition the party would also provide building materials for families whose houses were destroyed due to Zanu PF’s state-sponsored political violence.
“As the Renewal Team, we promise to assist not only affected MDC members but also those who have been victims of Zanu PF aggression and our assistance will be in the form of the needs of a particular community,” said Mangoma.
The Renewal Team, which has broken away from the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T accused the former premier of neglecting and failing to assist party members who were victimised by Zanu PF and had their homes and properties destroyed.
“The movement would have failed if it does not look after victims of political violence that took place over the past 15 years,” said Renewal Team member and former Finance Minister, Tendai Biti at a Chinhoyi rally in June this year.
But MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora accused the group of trying to ‘buy support’ and rejected allegations Tsvangirai had neglected victims of Zanu PF violence.
“It is not that the MDC-T did not want to support victims of political violence, but it genuinely had no resources, as advised by the same gentlemen who were responsible for party funds and party programmes; the same reason why the party has no money now while they are playing politics with people’s money,” said Mwonzora in a statement.
“It is a further exposure of the sabotage that they were involved in; that they have agreed not to implement any of the programmes that would make President Morgan Tsvangirai popular with the masses, because they had their own agenda.”
Mwonzora urged supporters to take the money and whatever assistance the Renewal Team offered but keep their faith with Tsvangirai.
“Just as we did with Zanu PF’s food-for-votes … take whatever money is offered, but on election day you know where you stand and you will be alone in the voting booth, and you can vote for the party that is dedicated to removing Zanu (PF) through a truly national effort.”
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