This
finding
was
outlined
in
ZPP’s
October
2024
monthly
monitoring
report,
as
the
nation
grapples
with
a
severe
El
Niño-induced
drought.
The
crisis,
which
affected
the
2023/2024
farming
season,
has
left
both
urban
and
rural
communities
in
desperate
need
of
food
assistance.
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
declared
the
drought
a
national
disaster,
appealing
for
$2
billion
in
aid
to
feed
millions
of
starving
citizens.
While
rural
areas
receive
grain
and
urban
populations
cash
assistance,
ZPP
documented
13
cases
of
politicised
aid
distribution,
exposing
the
ruling
party’s
dominance
over
food
allocation
systems.
The
organisation
noted
that
these
cases
represent
just
a
fraction
of
the
abuse
on
the
ground.
“The
ruling
party’s
control
over
food
aid
allows
it
to
weaponise
hunger,
denying
assistance
to
opposition
supporters
and
targeting
perceived
dissenters,”
said
ZPP.
This
practice
contravenes
international
human
rights
laws
protecting
the
right
to
food
and
freedom
from
discrimination.
Rural
communities,
already
crippled
by
poverty
and
drought,
face
coercion
to
support
the
ruling
party
or
risk
being
denied
essential
aid.
The
report
highlights
incidents
such
as
forced
participation
in
ruling
party
slogans
and
the
public
renunciation
of
opposition
affiliations
to
access
food
aid.
In
one
instance
in
Silobela’s
Ward
23,
a
male
victim
was
barred
from
receiving
aid
after
questioning
whether
the
meeting
was
political.
Traditional
leaders
are
also
implicated,
with
many
pressured
to
align
with
the
ruling
party,
eroding
their
impartiality
as
custodians
of
community
welfare.
ZPP
further
documented
cases
in
Manicaland,
where
traditional
leaders
and
local
politicians
colluded
to
hoard
food
aid,
diverting
resources
from
the
vulnerable.
In
Buhera
South’s
Ward
24,
a
councillor
allegedly
diverted
40
bags
of
maize
meant
for
the
elderly,
selling
some
under
the
cover
of
night
and
allocating
the
rest
to
undeserving
relatives.
The
politicisation
of
food
aid,
according
to
ZPP,
exacerbates
existing
inequalities,
undermines
trust,
and
leaves
marginalised
groups—especially
women,
children,
and
persons
with
disabilities—at
heightened
risk.
The
organisation
urged
government
entities
to
address
these
violations
urgently
and
ensure
aid
reaches
those
in
need.
“This
insidious
manipulation
of
food
aid
perpetuates
a
culture
of
fear,
repression,
and
impunity,”
ZPP
concluded.
“It
undermines
Zimbabwe’s
democratic
foundations
and
the
fundamental
human
rights
of
its
citizens,
perpetuating
poverty
and
deepening
inequality.”
Kathryn
Chris
