MORE than 5 000 households in Vungu constituency, Midlands province, are facing starvation after being denied food handouts on allegations that they voted for MDC-T in the 2013 polls.
By own correspondent
The villagers, including nonagenarians, from Nkawana, Bafana and Mudubiwa wards are allegedly being punished for voting for the MDC-T.
Ronald Sibanda, MDC-T councillor for Mudubiwa ward in Lower Gweru, about 50km west of Gweru, yesterday confirmed the partisan distribution of food aid in the province.
“People in my ward and two other wards have been denied food because it is being distributed along party lines,” he said in an interview. “They have built parallel structures and created shadow councillors. Food is being distributed by the shadow councillors, who lost the 2013 elections and are denying those they deem belong to the opposition,” he alleged.
This is despite President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for unity and inclusiveness in social and developmental projects among Zimbabweans. Zanu PF functionaries have been accused of dishing out food handouts and agriculture inputs to party members and discriminating against purported opposition supporters over the years.
Sibanda’s ward has 1 580 households and all have reportedly been denied food.
Among them are elderly people who cannot fend for themselves.
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Nkawana has 1 250 households facing a similar predicament.
NewsDay could not establish the number of affected households in Bafana, as councillor Sipiwe Moyo was not reachable.
Sibanda said, together with other affected councillors, they raised the issue through Gweru district administrator, who also could not be reached yesterday.
An official from the district administrator’s office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that a complaint had been lodged.
“Councillors from those wards came to the office with such a complaint. It is something being dealt with by the district administrator,” the official said.
Vungu legislator, Josphat Madubeko (Zanu PF) could not be reached for comment yesterday, as his mobile phone was switched off.
