Be wary of the hand that ‘feeds’ you

Dr Obert Moses Mpofu

It looks like, this year 2024 is going to be a tough one for our country’s agricultural season. There is an El Nino-induced drought that has made any prospects of a successful agricultural season highly unlikely. 

In previous years, our country under the Second Republic had made massive strides towards attaining food security. If not for this very unfortunate event, then I am pretty sure that this year we were going to have another bumper harvest. 

In recognition of such impending difficulties, the Zanu-PF-led Government under His Excellency Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa has declared this drought a state of disaster and has put in place measures to mitigate and alleviate the situation. 

Now, with the impending El Nino-induced drought hanging over our heads, it presents an interesting scenario. You see whenever such situations arise, there are those who might present themselves as saviours and offer a helping hand in the form of the so called “aid”. Often times this “aid” is often used to disguise a nefarious agenda. Do not get me wrong on this, there are indeed those that are friendly and will genuinely lend a hand to assist without any malice or hidden agendas. 

Then there are the usual suspects whose proposed aid will be attached to certain conditionalities and who will deploy their usual antics to try and smuggle in a political agenda under the guise of aid. It is no secret that, more often than not, “aid” has been used to fulfil nefarious agendas and in the most extreme of cases to even complete regime change agendas. 

A great number of NGOs operating in Zimbabwe are proxies of our detractors. They will smuggle a political agenda to sway our people along with their “aid”. They will unashamedly try to use “food aid” to have our people betray their cause. Such has always been their way. 

However, chances of them succeeding with these manipulative tendencies are all but slim. Our people have been conditioned in the right ideology and are not easy to sway. This is not to say that our detractors will not try, they most definitely will. In all their efforts, they will find a people holding steady and unwilling to sell-out for their so-called aid.

We saw it during the 2023 harmonised elections, there were several elements that were operating in the country under the guise of providing aid and relief to disadvantaged communities, yet their true intention was to campaign for the opposition. The whole idea of providing developmental aid has been politicised. This is why the government of Zimbabwe has sought to introduce the PVO bill to guard against any malicious activities and regulate the operations of private and voluntary organisations. It is this bill that has been fought so much and so hard as it exposes the nature and intentions of some of these private voluntary organisations that have been furthering the illegal regime change agenda. 

Be that as it may, and with the effects of the El Nino-induced drought being apparent, the Zanu-PF-led Government under President Dr ED Mnangagwa is making frantic efforts to ensure that no one is left behind. The Government as well as the party are working tirelessly to circumvent and come up with solutions that will ensure that our people will not go hungry. We will work in conjunction with our partners to provide relief to our people. Every effort will be made to ensure that our people are cushioned from this drought. 

The Zanu-PF led Government under President ED Mnangagwa will do everything in their power to feed the nation amid this difficult drought. None of us will go hungry, not under the Zanu-PF Government’s watch. 

A hungry man, is one without choice and a lack of choice leads to a lot of compromises, some not so ideal. Since coming into office, the Second Republic has sought to ensure that no Zimbabwean has gone hungry and this will not stop now. The Second Republic has placed a lot of focus on revamping the country’s agricultural sector so that our people would have their dignity remain intact and not be subjected to begging and receiving “aid” from those with hidden agendas. Through these efforts, remarkable results have been attained. Using the same focus, resources will be mobilised and our people will be fed. 

Our systems are working as they should and even though we will face some difficulties as a result of this drought, we well be able to still cater for our people and keep forging ahead. This year will be a year where we prove our resilience as a people. Our resolve will indeed be tested but as always, we will prevail.

ν Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is an academic and the Secretary General of Zanu-PF. He writes in his own capacity.