Cyclone Idai: NGO calls for investigations into allegations of looting of relief aid in Zimbabwe

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1 Harare, Zimbabwe, March 23 (Infosplusgabon) - Non-governmental organisation, Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA), has called for government to urgently investigate allegations of looting of Cyclone Idai relief aid in the affected eastern provinces of Manicaland and Masvingo. Allegations of looting relief aid, consisting of mainly food and non-food stuffs, emerged after eight branded vehicles under the ruling party, ZANU PF, were seen on Monday driving off with the aid from the Chimanimani District, the hardest hit district in the Manicaland Province. Sometimes one might run out of words to explain how evil and inhumane some individuals can be. You cannot imagine one stealing food and clothes meant for the people who are on the verge of starvation. Just imagine how donors feel when they hear that their support is not reaching intended beneficiaries, ACT-SA chairperson David Jamali said on Thursday. As a way forward, President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and the Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the President and other authorities must urgently investigate this matter to its logical conclusion and bring the culprits to book. 1 / 5

2 On Monday, local private media reported that for the better part of that afternoon, ZANU-PF councillors had taken command of the food aid distribution centres making sure that their wards were allocated foodstuffs. Anyone affiliated with other parties were then reportedly blocked from receiving food and non-foodstuff as stated by affected victims in Chimanimani in several videos that have since gone viral on Twitter. It is all political. They (ZANU PF) don t give us (food) as they accuse us of being MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) supporters. Even when they are handing out fertilizer, they always leave us out, like they did today, one aggrieved woman, affected by Cyclone Idai said. Concerning the video under review, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing minister July Moyo denied that aid was being diverted and defended ZANU PF party members driving the aid in the video. That video is unfortunate because people are sensationalizing. Food was not being hijacked to be in somebody s house or to give ZANU PF people. It was going to help people in Chipinge and Chimanimani. After all, most of the people we are giving do not even have those cards (party cards). They do not have ZANU PF or MDC cards because it was all taken by the raging 2 / 5

3 waters, he said. At the start of aid relief and rescue efforts, the Zimbabwe National Army led the charge with support and funding from American, British, European Union (EU), and United Nations (UN) agencies. However, the army has since taken a back seat accused of complacency with these foreign aid groups leading and funding rescue efforts, relief aid and its distribution through government agencies. But, with allegations of looting, these groups are now dispatching aid themselves to Cyclone Idai victims. ACT-SA, in a statement, said it had learnt with shock the massive looting for personal gain by entities and individuals and called for investigation to prevent aid agencies from halting aid relief efforts. 3 / 5

4 This may demotivate a number of stakeholders who are extending their hands to help thousands of Zimbabweans who lost almost everything and are on the verge of starvation, ACT-SA said. Cyclone Idai was a category three storm that entered Zimbabwe from Mozambique on 14 March and wreaked havoc over the next three days causing hundreds of deaths with more missing. Cyclone Idai ravaged the Manicaland Province and in particular Chimanimani where most of the dead and missing were recorded. It also caused the destruction of houses, bridges, roads, cars and other properties in the Manicaland Province. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in Zimbabwe, the cyclone affected 50,000 people from mostly Manicaland and to a lesser extent the Masvingo and Mashonaland East provinces. 4 / 5

5 Total fatalities known to IOM are 259, with hundreds more injured and some 217 missing. Authorities confirmed that 16,000 households have been displaced, namely, Chimanimani (8,000), Chipinge (3,000), Buhera (1,000) and Mutare (4,000). FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/ETG/GABON2019 Copyright Infosplusgabon 5 / 5