‘Traditional leaders don’t distribute food aid’

17 Jan, 2020 - 00:01 0 Views
‘Traditional leaders don’t distribute food aid’ Chief Charumbira

The ManicaPost

Takunda Maodza, Manicaland Bureau Chief

TRADITIONAL leaders have denied food aid was being given to the needy on partisan lines with their active involvement.

The opposition, particularly the MDC-T, has for long time accused traditional leaders of allegedly conniving with Zanu-PF to give food aid to only ruling party supporters.

No evidence has, however, been provided to support the claims.

In an interview on Wednesday on the sidelines of the ongoing National Council of Chiefs strategic planning workshop in Mutare, the council’s president, Chief Fortune Charumbira, said traditional leaders were not involved in the distribution of food aid.

“Most of the allegations that we hear about partisanship in food distribution are falsehoods. As traditional leaders we do not distribute food aid. Whoever says chiefs are partisan in the distribution of food aid does not know how food aid is distributed in this country,” he said.

Chief Charumbira said United Nations agencies, working with non-governmental organisations, and the Department of Social Welfare, were responsible for the distribution of food aid.

“Like now, you have World Food Programme, a United Nations organisation which appoints what they call implementing agencies, mainly non-governmental organisations. The NGOs come to the village themselves. They interview the villagers in that particular village and from their interviews they say this family is needy. The village or chief has no role in selecting a person to be given food,” said Chief Charumbira.

Beneficiaries of Government food aid, he added, were handled by the Department of Social Welfare.

The country suffered a drought last year after it did not receive adequate rains owing to the effects of  climate change.

The majority of people are in need of food assistance until the next harvest around May.

Government is on record as stating that no one would starve.

It has since started importing grain from the Sadc region and beyond.

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