MUTARE South legislator Tawanda Dumbarimwe (Zanu PF) is under fire for allegedly inciting hungry villagers to protest against government after claiming that the State is too broke to distribute food aid to them.
NewsDay established that the remarks resulted in Grain Marketing Board (GMB) officials being summoned by State security agents to explain why grain was not being transported to the villagers.
Sources said the Member of Parliament (MP) will also be summoned.
The sources said Dumbarimwe allegedly claimed that he was using personal resources to deliver grain to the villagers in Manicaland province.
Dumbarimwe, who is into transport business, was contracted by government to transport grain in Mutare district, which has three constituencies: Mutare West, South and North.
The MP is, however, in the eye of a storm for reportedly mobilising people to attack a GMB manager a Muzulu at Bezel Bridge, over the drought relief programme.
Bezel Bridge was identified as a collection point for the grain.
A meeting was held in the eastern border city by Mutare district development committee members, Joint Operations Command and GMB officials recently over the incident.
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In a Mutare South constituency WhatsApp group, Dumbarimwe was accused of allegedly claiming that government was letting villagers go hungry.
“He said the government was broke and could not pay him for distributing the grain,” a source said.
“He has convinced the people that he is doing it as a well-wisher and there is no government involvement.
“There was chaos at GMB Bezel Bridge as its manager stopped Dumbarimwe from transporting grain to his constituency saying he should also distribute grain to other areas.”
The GMB manager at Bezel Bridge yesterday refused to comment on the matter and directed questions to Mutare district development co-ordinator Tendai Kapenzi.
Kapenzi confirmed the developments.
“I am not feeling well, but I think this is one of the reasons I have been called into office, but I will give you more details,” he said.
Chief Bernard Marange of Mutare West, yesterday downplayed the matter, claiming that the issue had been resolved.
“There were issues of fuel and this has since been resolved,” Marange said.
Dumbarimwe was not answering his mobile phone yesterday.
The ruling party’s Mutare North MP Admire Mahachi and his Mutare West counterpart Nyasha Marange were not reachable.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa in April declared the El Niño-induced drought a state of national disaster and has since appealed for US$3 billion in humanitarian assistance.
The United Nations last month issued a flash appeal for US$429,3 million in humanitarian assistance targeting close to 3,1 million people facing hunger.
A government Household-based Village-co-ordinated Rapid Vulnerability report and the Urban Food and Nutrition Council Assessment report show that close to 60% of the country’s population is in dire need of food aid.
