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Partisan distribution of food and other forms of aid: A national report - October 2007
Zimbabwe Peace Project
January 17, 2008

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Executive Summary
An escalation of violations linked to Partisan Distribution of food and other forms of aid were recorded in Zimbabwe for the month of October. A disturbing figure of 440 cases was recorded in all the provinces nationwide a major jump from 267 cases recorded in September 2007.

The ruling Zanu PF remains a major perpetrator in violations linked to distribution of food and other forms of Aid. Cases of no Zanu PF party card, no food were reported. Cases of Zanu PF and state agencies allegedly meddling in the distribution of food from Non Governmental Organisations were reported. In most constituencies NGOs approached the traditional leaders and state agencies to select beneficiaries for food distribution and these used their influence to deny aid to those seen to be aligned to the opposition MDC. In some incidents it is alleged Zanu PF directly influenced officials belonging to international donor agencies to deny registering potential beneficiaries viewed as belonging to the MDC.

Worrying cases of sexual harassment and unwarranted sexual advances in exchange for food or other forms of aid continue to be reported but fortunately to a lower extent in the month under review compared to those reported in September.

Children are unfortunately becoming more exposed to cases of violations, directly as beneficiaries of aid and indirectly as dependants of parents deemed adversaries of those in power of giving or determining who receives aid.
Meanwhile, the report has generated interest among different local and international communities; most interestingly it has caught the attention of international donor agencies. Allegations of violations including discrimination, assaults and sexual harassment for food have been cited involving these agencies. The perpetrators included people belonging to different political parties, traditional leaders and in some cases the agencies staff tasked with selecting beneficiaries. ZPP makes it a point to verify reported incidents with the agencies involved. However, in the September Food Monitoring report an incident was misreported stating that a villager, JN, was allegedly denied Agricultural inputs assistance by CARE international. JN, was re-interviewed and it emerged that in fact he had been denied the inputs by chief N under a government scheme dubbed operation Maguta. The anomaly is sincerely regretted.

Other forms of Aid included in the report besides food relief and food loan schemes are; tillage support, farming inputs including seed and fertiliser, agricultural credit schemes, irrigation scheme, education assistance to orphans and vulnerable children, medicine for people living with HIV and AIDS and those with cancer. Two categories of aid, food aid to the elderly and food aid for people living with disabilities were also categorised on their own to accurately record the patterns of violations involved to enhance quick intervention from stakeholders.

ZPP monitored all forms of food and aid distributed by the Government, NGOs, Donors and Faith Based Organisations in all the electoral constituencies of Zimbabwe as of October 2007.

The project is concerned that people in position of influence, chiefly the ruling party Zanu PF, continue to manipulate the distribution of food and other forms of aid from different sources through partisan distribution.

Thousands of people are going hungry in Zimbabwe as access to food continues to diminish. Food is a human right recognised in international human rights instruments such as the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the 1966 International Covenant of Social, Economic and Cultural Rights, which Zimbabwe ratified.

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