SW Radio Africa
(London)
Tichaona Sibanda
7 October 2008
The ZANU PF MP for Umguza, Obert Mpofu, is allegedly behind a massive food aid scandal where maize meant for starving villagers is being sold on the black market or in some cases bartered for cattle in his constituency.
The outgoing Minister of Industry and International Trade is said to be at the heart of a syndicate overseen by the ward 13 councillor in his constituency, Ernest Sibanda. Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme said evidence has emerged that truckloads of maize from the Grain Marketing Board were being diverted to Sibanda's homestead.
'Once in position of the food aid, Sibanda and his gang would in turn sell the maize on the black market. In most cases they barter the maize for cattle from desperate villagers,' Saungweme said.
During the March elections a truck carrying 30 tonnes of maize disappeared in the province and follow up investigations by a government task force of the CIO, police and ZANU PF officials led to the doorsteps of Sibanda.
'He was found in possession of the stolen maize and Mpofu blocked the authorities from taking any action against him. To get rid of the evidence, the maize load was distributed to ZANU PF card carrying members only from the constituency,' Saungweme said.
There are allegations this was a pre-planned manoevure by the Minister and Sibanda as it meant the free gifts of maize to the villagers helped prop up Mpofu's image and his candidature. He was re-elected MP for the constituency.
Food aid has been a contentious issue in the country for a number of years. The Zanu PF regime has accused humanitarian organisations of collaborating with the MDC and of being intermediaries of Western countries allegedly opposed to ZANU PF policies.
But the NGO's and the MDC have reported that the regime has used state controlled food supplies as blackmail to extort votes from the electorate. Our correspondent said the latest scandal shows that ZANU PF officials are stripping bare all GMB depots with impunity and making huge profits from selling the maize on the black market.
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This is not news.Why wait till now to expose what has been the rule of thumb for Zanu-pf since it's beginnings.By the way do you see how important Mugabe is now to south africa? Zuma says ,yeah Mbeke can go back and sort it out,ha ha ha,"he did a good job"ha ha ha.
The shameful theft of this maize earmarked for starving villagers by American humanitarian organizations, is what led the American ambassador to Zimbabwe to seek the courts for Mugabe to reimburse the United states. Was the ambassador successful? Who knows - probably not.
There are speculations that Mpofu might have voted in favour of the MDC-T candidate fof the Speaker position and hence Mugabe's mortal tentacles choking up the judas!
Watch this place for other updates on this saga!