SILOBELA — Police last Thursday intervened and quelled a potentially riotous situation at Donsa business centre after MDC-T and Zanu PF supporters clashed over the distribution of inputs sourced under the Presidential Inputs Scheme.
by BLESSED MHLANGA
MDC-T’s Ward 28 councillor Willard Moyo told NewsDay over the weekend that tempers flared when Zanu PF supporters led by Anna Mangane threatened to beat up MDC-T activists who were claiming a share of the farming inputs.
“They (Zanu PF supporters) came dressed in their regalia singing and chanting party slogans and threatened to assault me and other known party members if we attempted to benefit from the 15 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fetiliser which was delivered in our ward by the GMB (Grain Marketing Board),” Moyo said.
“Police had to be called in because those accused of being MDC demanded that they should benefit and refused to be chased away, while Zanu PF supporters dug in. There was a tense stand-off.” Zanu PF Midlands provincial spokesperson Conelious Mpereri, however, denied allegations that the inputs were distributed along partisan party lines.
“The procedure from the way I understand it is that the councillor is the one who goes to the GMB and signs for the inputs. It is with his help that the distribution is then done. At no point did our disciplined youths and party leadership disrupt the process,” Mpereri said.
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But Moyo insisted that Zanu PF supporters wanted the MDC-T activists to be left out of the scheme, adding that some village headman were refusing to work with him preferring to work with a Zanu PF losing candidate identified as Ester Muranga.
“I am in the process of trying to get this matter into a court of law because people cannot be denied access to government inputs on the basis that they belong to another political party. I have approached ZimRights for guidance and assistance to ensure that we get an order compelling the party to stop this act of terrorism,” Moyo said.
Similar incidents have been reported in several parts of the country.