Back to Index

Former Zimbabwe army chief wants frank assessments on food crisis
ZimOnline
April 28, 2006

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/YAOI-6PA2FL?OpenDocument&rc=1&cc=zwe

MASVINGO - Former Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander and a senator of the ruling ZANU PF party Vitalis Zvinavashe on Thursday called for openness about food shortages affecting the country.

In a thinly veiled attack on President Robert Mugabe and his Cabinet who in the past have claimed that the country had enough food when it did not, Zvinavashe said: "We have to be open about the food situation. We have heard people saying I have so many tonnes of food but if you go to the Grain Marketing Board there is nothing."

Zvinavashe was the top military commander of the ZDF, comprising Zimbabwe's national army and air force. He retired in 2003 when the current ZDF commander Constantine Chiwenga took over.

The Zimbabwe government is sensitive and highly secretive on issues regarding food security in the country. The Harare authorities, for example, last week barred the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) from making an independent assessment of food requirements in the country which is again expected to harvest less food this year.

Mugabe and Agriculture Minister Joseph Made last year falsely said Zimbabwe had a bumper harvest of maize, its staple food, in a bid to portray the government's controversial land reforms as successful.

The land reforms under which the government seized productive farms from whites for redistribution to blacks are blamed for destabilising the mainstay agricultural sector, causing a 60 percent drop in food production.

Zimbabwe, once a regional breadbasket, has largely survived on food handouts from international donor groups since the farm seizure programme began six years ago.

Zvinavashe, who is also a member of the ruling ZANU PF party's inner politburo cabinet, said it was critical to be truthful and transparent about the country's precarious food situation if the government is to be able to plan and provide solutions to hunger.

"If there is hunger lets make it clear so that the government will plan properly. To be honest there has been hunger in the past agricultural season. People have been starving," the retired general said.

Zvinavashe's remarks are a clear sign there is no unanimity in the government or ZANU PF over the food crisis that political analysts say is pushing public anger against Mugabe and his Cabinet to dangerous levels. - ZimOnline

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP