VILLAGERS in Shumbeshave (ward 23) in Matobo have lamented the inadequate distribution of food with only 15 households out of 228 currently receiving food aid from the government.
The government is distributing food aid to villagers severely affected by the El Niño-induced drought that wiped out crops after below normal rainfall during the 2023/2024 agricultural season.
In an interview with Southern Eye this week, ward 23 councillor Joseph Sibanda said the Social Welfare and the district development co-ordinator (DDC) had promised to address the problem.
“When they will do that, I do not know since the law states that councillors are not involved in the issues to do with who benefits from food aid,” he said.
“In the process of selecting who gets food aid these people pick each other according to friendships. Councillors are only involved when not enough people get food aid like the issue is now.”
Sibanda said some villagers in the ward had received a bucket of maize each for Isiphala Senduna.
Shumbeshabe villager Tshinde Mpofu also confirmed that 15 villagers in the area were benefiting from the government’s food aid programme.
“The DDC is the one who knows about this and how people are being selected. To say that they pick their friends and relatives would be speculation but I do think that something fishy is going on here. Other villages such as Halale, Dewe and Domboshaba had received food aid while we received nothing,” he said.
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However, Matobo DDC Obey Chaputsira said he was not aware of the issue but contradicted himself saying authorities were working to address the challenge.
“You are not the first person to ask me about that. There is confusion between the boundaries of areas but we are addressing the issue,” he said.
“To say that not everyone is getting food, that is a misrepresentation of facts. There are issues to do with food distribution. We are not covering everyone at the moment but we are looking into increasing the numbers.”
Earlier this year, villagers in Maphisa alleged discrimination in food aid distribution adding that the government programme was biased.
