However, soon after the President and his entourage left, the trucks started driving off,
leaving people stranded, although some individuals claimed that the trucks were going
to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depot in Masvingo to distribute the aid there.
Hundreds of people then mobbed the last truck and started looting the mealie meal
leaving the driver helpless. It is alleged that party supporters, mainly youths, went on
top of the truck, removed the tent covering the mealie meal, and started throwing the 10
kg packets to the cheering crowd.
Recommendations
ZPP implores the government to implement the recommendations of the UN Special
Rapporteur on the Right to Food Ms Hilal Elver following her fact finding mission to
Zimbabwe in 2020. Elver recommended that in accordance with the Zimbabwe
Constitution, the government should permit all people to have access to food aid
without any reference to their regional origin or residence, or political affiliation. The
government should instruct local authorities in charge of beneficiary and distribution
lists to abide by the principle of non-discrimination and to follow the criteria set up by
the Food and Nutrition Council. The Government should also monitor the food
distribution at the local level to find out whether such incidents occur. Moreover, special
effort should be made to ensure access to highly vulnerable populations first, such as
women and children head of households, the elderly, disabled and those affected by
HIV/AIDS.
©Mandla
Chuma
Nomination Court
On 21 June the nomination court sat to accept candidates for the 2023 harmonised
elections. Candidates vying for the presidential position were submitting papers at the
High Court while aspiring parliamentarians were being served at the Provincial
Magistrate Courts. Candidates for senate, women’s quota and young people made
submissions at the Provincial Magistrate Courts and councillors at all council offices
countrywide. Zanu PF incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Citizens' Coalition
for Change president Nelson Chamisa and 9 other aspiring candidates successfully
submitted their papers at the High Court through their lawyers. In this year’s elections,
only 11 candidates successfully registered for the top position as compared to 23 who
contested the Presidential elections in 2018. The decrease in the number of presidential
candidates can be attributed to the hefty nomination fees gazetted by ZEC. Presidential
candidates had to pay $20 000, up from $1 000 in the 2018 elections, to qualify to run in
2023 while aspiring Members of Parliament were required to pay $1 000, up from $50 in
2018. The results for the nomination court established that among the 11 Presidential
candidates there was no woman candidate represented.
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