In a shocking revelation, the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has exposed how the government is using food aid to control vulnerable people. According to the ZPP's October 2024 report, this is a severe human rights violation. The country is facing a terrible drought caused by El Niño, which has left many people in cities and rural areas desperately needing food. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared the drought a national disaster and asked for $2 billion in aid to feed millions of starving citizens. However, the ZPP has found that the ruling party uses its power over food aid to punish people who support the opposition. They documented 13 cases of this abuse, but they believe many more cases are happening on the ground.
The ZPP says that the ruling party's control over food aid allows them to use hunger as a weapon. They deny assistance to people who support the opposition and target those they see as troublemakers. This goes against international human rights laws that protect people's right to food and freedom from discrimination. Poor rural communities already suffering from drought are forced to support the ruling party or risk being denied the food they need to survive. The report gives examples of people being forced to participate in ruling party slogans and publicly reject the opposition to get food aid. In one case, a man in Silobela's Ward 23 was not allowed to receive assistance after he asked if the meeting was political.
Traditional leaders are also being pressured to support the ruling party, which goes against their role as community protectors. The ZPP found cases in Manicaland where traditional leaders and local politicians worked together to hoard food aid and take it away from the people who needed it most. In Buhera South's Ward 24, a councilor allegedly took 40 bags of maize meant for older people, sold some of it secretly at night, and gave the rest to relatives who didn't deserve it.
The ZPP says that using food aid for political gain worsens existing inequalities and destroys community trust. It puts vulnerable groups like women, children, and people with disabilities at even greater risk. The organization urges the government to address these violations immediately and ensure that aid reaches the people who need it. They say that this manipulation of food aid creates a culture of fear, repression, and lawlessness. It undermines Zimbabwe's democracy and the fundamental human rights of its citizens, keeping people in poverty and making inequality worse.
The ZPP says that the ruling party's control over food aid allows them to use hunger as a weapon. They deny assistance to people who support the opposition and target those they see as troublemakers. This goes against international human rights laws that protect people's right to food and freedom from discrimination. Poor rural communities already suffering from drought are forced to support the ruling party or risk being denied the food they need to survive. The report gives examples of people being forced to participate in ruling party slogans and publicly reject the opposition to get food aid. In one case, a man in Silobela's Ward 23 was not allowed to receive assistance after he asked if the meeting was political.
Traditional leaders are also being pressured to support the ruling party, which goes against their role as community protectors. The ZPP found cases in Manicaland where traditional leaders and local politicians worked together to hoard food aid and take it away from the people who needed it most. In Buhera South's Ward 24, a councilor allegedly took 40 bags of maize meant for older people, sold some of it secretly at night, and gave the rest to relatives who didn't deserve it.
The ZPP says that using food aid for political gain worsens existing inequalities and destroys community trust. It puts vulnerable groups like women, children, and people with disabilities at even greater risk. The organization urges the government to address these violations immediately and ensure that aid reaches the people who need it. They say that this manipulation of food aid creates a culture of fear, repression, and lawlessness. It undermines Zimbabwe's democracy and the fundamental human rights of its citizens, keeping people in poverty and making inequality worse.
