Supporters of opposition parties in Zimbabwe are reportedly being excluded from food aid and farming supplies in rural areas, according to the Zimbabwe Peace Project’s September 2024 report. The report reveals that aid distribution is biased towards ruling party members, with many individuals denied assistance due to their political affiliations.
The report highlights nine cases where 85 people were refused aid. For instance, in Ward 8 of Vungu district, only 14 out of around 65 families have received government food aid. Victims claim that when more beneficiaries were added, they were chosen from ruling party supporters in other villages instead of those in need from their own community.
One person stated, “We’re told to find our own food. We hear our names were called for aid, but we never receive anything, which means someone else is taking it.”
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In Mwenezi North’s Ward 4, Kraal Head Chitemere has been accused of giving farming inputs only to ruling party supporters, denying two families fertilizer because they didn’t attend ZANU PF meetings. He claimed the program was only for party members.
When these families asked to move to other villages, they were denied permission and labeled as CCC supporters, with the Kraal Head claiming their relocation would cause problems.
Additionally, traditional leaders are forcing villagers to work on infrastructure projects as part of a “food for work” program. This has been reported in several districts, including Vungu and Mutare North. In Ward 10 of Mutare North, villagers are repairing roads without proper tools and are fined US$1 for not showing up to work. In Bikita South, villagers who expected food aid have worked for two months under this program but have not received any promised assistance.