Sources
who
spoke
to
CITE
said
the
villagers
were
stranded
in
the
bush
as
they
also
had
to
wait
for
authorities
overseeing
the
distribution
process,
who
had
travelled
to
Bulawayo.
The
delay
was
further
compounded
by
poor
road
conditions,
which
forced
the
distribution
to
take
place
in
a
bushy
area.
Some
sources
added
that
several
villages
were
left
out
of
the
distribution
altogether
due
to
missing
documentation.
“After
waiting
for
two
days,
villages
3,
4,
and
5
(Zimdabule
villages),
as
well
as
villages
7A,
7B,
and
14
(Igusi),
did
not
receive
any
food
aid
because
their
paperwork
was
missing,”
a
source
revealed.
When
contacted
for
comment,
Ward
10
Councillor
Johannes
Sibanda
downplayed
the
situation,
dismissing
reports
that
villagers
had
been
stranded
for
two
days.
“The
first
thing
is
that
two
days
means
48
hours,
and
I
think
the
person
reporting
this
does
not
understand
what
two
days
really
means.
The
vehicle
was
carrying
wheat,
and
it
is
not
the
first
to
use
that
road.
Even
buses
travel
on
the
same
route.
Yes,
the
road
has
potholes,
especially
now
that
it’s
raining,
but
that
is
normal,”
he
argued.
However,
in
a
contradictory
statement,
Councillor
Sibanda
admitted
that
the
vehicle
got
stuck
in
a
bushy
area
and
suggested
that
the
driver
might
have
been
unfamiliar
with
the
route.
“Maybe
the
driver
didn’t
know
the
road,
and
different
vehicles
have
different
power
levels.
This
one
simply
didn’t
have
enough
power,”
he
added.
Regarding
claims
that
some
villages
did
not
receive
food
aid,
Sibanda
dismissed
them,
stating
that
aid
distribution
was
not
meant
to
take
place
in
the
bush
where
the
vehicle
had
broken
down.
“It
is
not
true
that
some
people
didn’t
receive
the
wheat.
Since
the
vehicle
got
stuck
in
the
bush,
alternative
transport
had
to
be
arranged,
which
may
have
caused
delays,
but
no
one
was
left
out,”
he
said.