THERE was drama and chaos in Karoi yesterday during the Pfumvudza/Intwasa distribution programme as residents protested over unfair distribution and corruption.
The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Karoi depot had dispatched a truckload with 600 bags to be shared among villagers from wards 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Each villager was getting 5kg of seed maize, but some civil servants were seen walking away with 10kg pockets, sparking the protests.
The protesters, mostly women and youths, charged that there was a lot of corruption in the distribution of the inputs.
“The programme must not be corrupted by criminals abusing Pfumvudza. We can’t share a bag of fertiliser among three people when other people are not sharing,” one resident Rudo Musaka fumed.
Efforts to get an official comment from Hurungwe district development co-ordinator Andrew Tizora were fruitless.
Meanwhile, Citizens Coalition for Change councillor for Karoi town ward 6 Kudakwashe Chigumo has withdrawn the list that he had submitted to Agriculture Extension Services for the inputs scheme citing politicisation.
Alleging “political intolerance”, amid revelations that an unelected Zanu PF shadow councillor had submitted a separate list, Chigumo notified residents through a WhatsApp group that he had resolved to withdraw the list that he had initially submitted.
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“I come to you all with a heavy heart that my efforts as an elected public officer in ward 6 are being frustrated. Needless to say, an unelected Zanu PF shadow councillor (Kadenhe or Mai Mufunga) for the ward submitted another list that made our list unrecognised by authorities,’’ claimed Chigumo, who is chairperson of Karoi council audit committee.
He added: “We must be politically mature and I urge all to remain calm. We need social cohesion, not conflict among ourselves. Let us not be violent to each other over this mishap. I am humbly preaching for peace among all citizens regardless of our political differences as the nation is greater than individuals.”
Kadenhe refused to comment on the matter.
