Buhera West villagers have accused their local authority of extortion after they were allegedly made to pay money so they would be eligible to benefit from government’s food aid programmes.
By Own Correspondent
Villagers attending a +263 Dialogue Series meeting organised by Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CIZC) in Buhera on Tuesday said they were made to pay $0,20 per household.
The dialogue series serve as a platform for discussion of issues of national concern while proffering possible solutions.
It came out during the meeting that officials from Buhera Rural District Council, with the assistance of Zanu PF councillors in the district, collected money from all the wards in the area.
MDC-T councillor for ward 5, Paul Makuvise confirmed the development on the sidelines of the dialogue.
“The money was collected from all the wards in mid-September and the beginning of October, but up to now, villagers have not yet received anything. We have been trying to talk to authorities, but we have not been successful and we have not heard anything from them.
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“We fear that villagers could have been swindled of their cash because, if you count the number of households in the wards, you will realise that a lot of money was collected,” said Makuvise.
Villagers who spoke during the meeting highlighted that some of them, after having paid the money, were told by Zanu PF councillors that they would not be eligible to benefit due to their perceived association with opposition parties.
The villagers claimed council collected money with the assistance of Zanu PF loyalists.
“We feel that this is some form of extortion. Imagine that after we were made to pay the money, some Zanu PF activists moved around telling us that we were not going to get anything because we are opposed to Zanu PF.
“So why did they allow us to pay the money when they knew that we were not going to benefit?” said one villager, who preferred not to be named for fear of victimisation.
When contacted for comment, Buhera Rural District Council chief executive officer Emily Chibvongodze refuted the allegations.
“We were not involved in that project because it is being implemented by the Department of Social Welfare. So I am actually hearing it from you that villagers were made to pay money,” she said.
Other issues that also came out during the +263 Dialogue Series included lack of information among villagers as to the provisions of the new Constitution, partisan conduct by traditional leaders as well as lack of access to health care among other concerns.
Cases of partisan distribution of food aid continue to be reported by civic society organisations around the country.
According to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), MDC-T supporters were this week sidelined from benefiting from a government food aid programme.
Similar cases, according to ZimRights, have been witnessed in areas such as Masvingo and Mt Darwin.
