Zimbabwean exiles say halt aid to Southern Africa

By Tichaona Sibanda
3 April 2007

Zimbabwean exiles in the United Kingdom have called for aid to Southern Africa to be suspended because of the failure of the regional body to stand up for human rights in Zimbabwe, a statement released on Tuesday said.

Ephraim Tapa, chairman of the MDC UK, said they would compile a petition calling on all countries in the European Union to suspend government-to-government aid to the 14 SADC members until they observe their commitment to promote good governance in the region.

‘Starting this Easter holiday, we will encourage our members to put down their names on a petition that will be sent to the EU. We will circulate this petition to all our members here in the UK,’ Tapa said.

So far, the Vigil’s main petition calling on the UN to intervene on human rights in Zimbabwe has been signed by more than 100,000 people during Saturday protests outside the Zimbabwe embassy in London.

The government last month declared 2007 as a drought year, but shocked many people by saying they will be able to feed all the people without requesting food aid. Tapa was quick to point out that the same government was busy courting EU members to provide food aid to starving people in Zimbabwe.

Leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) met in Tanzania last week to discuss the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe but unexpectedly failed to make any public criticism of Robert Mugabe’s regime. Instead they urged the lifting of the targeted sanctions on Mugabe and his cronies, which prevent them visiting the European Union, the United States and other countries.

‘Our supporters are very angry. All we see is political immaturity from our neighbours. The last thing we want to do is to hurt our brothers and sisters in Southern Africa but we must drive home to their hypocritical governments their obligation to promote the good governance they have all signed up to. We do all we can to encourage humanitarian aid but people here question whether it is a good use of resources that Malawi pays guards to stop people defacing signs on the new highway Malawi has named after Robert Mugabe,’ Tapa said.

He added; ‘we know this is controversial but we are desperate. The Southern African leaders must be made to understand that they cannot support tyranny and brutality without consequences, our gloves are off.’

‘The government says it will distribute food through its own drought-relief programmes. But where is that food? We now know how they operate. Under the Grain Marketing Board, Zanu (PF) often supplies maize to those who hold party cards. This means they effectively brand those without party cards as opposition supporters and deny them food,’ he said.

With elections in 2008, Tapa said all food aid would be grabbed by the ruling party and used as a source of oppression against hungry people. He said unless aid agencies are allowed to distribute food, then any aid should be suspended until there is an assurance that everyone will get the food irrespective of their political allegiances.

The UN World Food Programme also announced Tuesday that they will cut back on food aid to Zimbabwe, starting from this month. The WFP, who has been providing emergency food aid to Zimbabweans for the past five years, said it had helped 1.5 million of the country’s 12 million people with food aid in the first three months of the year.

A statement from the food agency said with the annual harvest due in April, WFP will be scaling down its aid operations in Zimbabwe from this month reducing the number of beneficiaries to 256,000 in April.

Maize, beans and cooking oil are some of the staples WFP distributed to vulnerable people, pregnant women, malnourished children and people living with HIV in 26 districts of the country between January and March this year.