Zanu PF accused of threatening to starve ’Gamatox’ villagers

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ZPP has accused the Zanu PF government of deliberately denying food aid and agricultural inputs to its “Gamatox” members and opposition supporters

HUMAN rights watchdog, Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has accused the Zanu PF government of deliberately denying food aid and agricultural inputs to its “Gamatox” members and opposition supporters, as part of the ruling party’s “support or starve” campaign.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

The ZPP, in its September monthly monitoring report, said its human rights monitors witnessed opposition supporters and Gamatox members being denied agro-support. “The ‘support or starve’ phenomena that has always been a driving mantra in a number of violations over the past 15 years, is taking centre stage, as the cropping season starts,” ZPP said.

“Across the provinces members of the opposition, as well as members of the ruling party associated with the dismissed former Vice-President [Joice] Mujuru, are being denied access to input support programmes.”

The rights group has deployed community-based human rights monitors, who observe and record such violations in the constituencies they reside.

First Lady Grace Mugabe has of late been visiting some provinces doling out food handouts and farming inputs to Zanu PF supporters at her rallies.

The ZPP said traditional leaders, chiefs and party youths demanded beneficiaries to produce Zanu PF membership cards before receiving their allocations.

“While theoretically, the input schemes are supposed to be national in orientation meant to support agricultural production in the country as well as buffer the masses from hunger, these programmes have, year after year, been hijacked by Zanu PF vanguards, who have unscrupulously used them to deprive members of the opposition, as well as to manipulate them into denouncing their parties in typical ‘support or starve’ routines.

“Registering for the input schemes, food aid programmes and other relief support has seen only members of the ruling party being considered at the exclusion of those from other political affiliations. Alongside these, suspected ‘Gamatox’ have also been affected.”

Zanu PF spokesperson, Simon Khaya Moyo was unreachable for comment yesterday.