HARARE - President Robert Mugabe’s administration has abandoned desperate villagers at Chingwizi transit camp, a faith-based aid agency has said.
Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has warned that disaster was looming at the camp.
In its monthly report, ZPP notes that the situation at Chingwizi Transit Camp is fast deteriorating as people are now consuming unhygienic foodstuffs.
“In Chingwizi Transit Camp, food rations continue to drop; currently, families are receiving 10kg maize meal, 1kg nyemba (cow peas), and one bottle of cooking oil per month regardless of the size of the family,” the ZPP report reads.
“This has caused women to set up fruit and vegetable stalls for sale in unhygienic environments.
“Politicians no longer consider the situation in Chingwizi as a crisis and yet mere observation tells a story of imminent disaster.”
Early this year, thousands of families downstream of the Tokwe-Mukorsi Dam were relocated to Chingwizi Transit Camp, after the dam wall partially collapsed due to heavy rains.
Meanwhile, ZPP also noted that Tsholotsho flood victims were starving as they last received food handouts in March.
“It is reported that some families are now surviving through selling some of their livestock while some families are reported to have moved to neighbouring villages to get livelihoods,” ZPP said.
In an unrelated development, the NGO said there was an increase in violence cases.
“In the Month of May, there was an increase in the prevalence cases of harassment; 157 compared to 139 cases reported in the previous month,” the report says.
“The figures reflect the increase in total number violations recorded in the same month; 204 compared to 181 reported in the month of April.”
However, food violations decreased due to good harvests recorded throughout the country, the organisation said.
“Zanu PF supporters and office bearers continue to record high numbers of perpetrators. In the month of May, ZPP recorded 261 Zanu PF perpetrators compared to 31 MDC and of these perpetrators, 278 are men and 18 are women,” the report reads.
Manicaland Province recorded 26 cases of violence, Midlands 74, Mashonaland Central 16, Mashonaland West 27, Mashonaland East 24, Masvingo 18, Harare 7, Matabeleland North 10, Bulawayo 9 and Matabeleland South 6.