Villagers in Silobela are reportedly parting with various amounts of money to access food aid in the district as Zanu PF officials and village heads are demanding that they give them money to access food aid, The Standard reports.
A villager from Jekiseni shopping center Ward 23 in Silobela spoke to the Southern eye said:
It is a sad situation here. Orphans, widows, under-privileged members of the society are not benefiting from the government food aid scheme.
The food aid is being abused and we see trucks getting into homesteads of a few people who are currently stocking the rice and maize in their backyards yet people are suffering.
A local councillors’ aid is reportedly charging $45 per household which he says is for transporting the donated food from the DDF depot to their village for them to access the donated rice from China. Most beneficiaries are being denied food aid because they can’t afford to pay the required $45. Similar cases of alleged food aid abuse have also been reported in Khoza, Bharange and Matimba villages.
More: The Standard