KEY VIOLATIONS
POLITICAL DISCRIMINATION IN FOOD AID
The Zimbabwe Peace Project has observed the ongoing pattern of political discrimination and the deliberate
manipulation of government-sponsored food aid as a tool for partisan control. Four violations affecting 149
(78 men and 71 women) people were documented in May. In Masvingo province, Councilor Vengai Muchini
of Ward 21 in Bikita East Constituency declared on 7 May 2025 that he will remove community members from
the list of food aid beneficiaries based on their perceived or actual political affiliation. The victims were
either suspected of supporting opposition parties or were associated with former ZANU PF member Blessed
Geza, a prominent critic of efforts to extend President Mnangagwa’s term beyond 2030. Councilor Muchini,
who oversees the food distribution process, insisted that only confirmed ZANU PF supporters would receive
aid, and further declared that government department of Social Welfare officials would not be permitted to
collect or review the beneficiary lists, effectively consolidating partisan control over what should be an
impartial, life-saving intervention aimed at drought-affected households. This discriminatory practice directly
violates the constitutional rights of citizens to equal treatment and non-discrimination (Section 56 of the
Zimbabwean Constitution), as well as the right to food and social protection, which is fundamental to the
dignity and survival of affected communities.
This pattern of exclusion was echoed in Chirumhanzu South, where 15 community members were deliberately
denied wheat allocations by traditional leaders, intended as part of a three-month government relief
program, solely on the basis of their political affiliations. These individuals, aligned with opposition
movements, were systematically left out while all others received their rations, reportedly based on lists
prepared and enforced by partisan traditional leaders. This entrenched trend of politicising humanitarian
assistance not only deepens social divisions but also undermines the credibility of state institutions and
violates the principles of equality, fairness, and the universality of aid in crisis contexts. It reinforces a climate
of fear and marginalization, particularly in rural communities, where access to food aid is often a critical
determinant of survival. These practices call for urgent intervention by oversight bodies such as the
government department of Social Welfare to hold accountable those who subvert aid mechanisms for
political gain, while ensuring protection and remedy for affected individuals.
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