The president of the Chiefs Council Chief Fortune Charumbira dismissed reports that food distribution was partisan highly biased towards Zanu PF party supporter, Manica Post reports.
The Chief was speaking on the sidelines of the National Council of Chiefs strategic planning workshop in Mutare when he said food distribution was handled by the donors and social welfare.
Said Mr Charumbira:
Most of the allegations that we hear about partisanship in food distribution are falsehoods. As traditional leaders we do not distribute food aid. Whoever says chiefs are partisan in the distribution of food aid does not know how food aid is distributed in this country.
Like now, you have World Food Programme, a United Nations organisation which appoints what they call implementing agencies, mainly non-governmental organisations. The NGOs come to the village themselves.
They interview the villagers in that particular village and from their interviews they say this family is needy. The village or chief has no role in selecting a person to be given food
Over the years Zanu PF has been accused of using food aid to buy voters in rural constituencies.
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