• In October 2002, in the rural district of Binga that had just voted strongly for MDC in the Rural District Council elections, the government suspended all donor food to starving school children. Officials were quoted as saying this was to punish the region for its strong MDC vote. The Catholic Church was ordered to stop its feeding, as were “Save the Children” and “Oxfam Great Britain”. Feeding programmes were effectively prevented for around 2 months, and it was 40,000 school children who suffered. 27 The government uses the “carrot and stick” approach to food and elections. When elections loom in food insecure regions, the GMB sells maize at a reduced rate - on days that coincide with opposition party rallies so that people have to choose between getting a scarce and essential commodity, or attending the rally. These sales are accompanied by threats that there will be no more food in this area if people do not vote ZANU PF. This system was used in Lupane, a rural Matabeleland district in April 2004; ZANU PF made systematic threats that this impoverished district would not get maize if they voted MDC.28 Maize and election 2005 Concern has escalated during 2004, as it is apparent that the government is blurring the issue of food security in Zimbabwe. The government indicated early in the year that it would not be applying to the WFP to source any donor food for distribution during the 2004/2005 season. The government is determined to portray the land resettlement programme as a productive success, hence its claims that Zimbabwe will grow enough food to feed itself. President Mugabe said in a television interview in May that Zimbabwe was expecting a “bumper harvest” and that they did not want to “choke” on too much food, so they would not be extending WFP’s programme into 2005.29 However, UN and other sources were in April 2004 predicting a lower yield than that of the 2003/4 season, in which 5 million people had required food aid.30 In September this year, the GMB itself admitted to a parliamentary committee that it had only received 288,000 tonnes of maize deliveries from farmers, a massive shortfall on the 2,4 million tonnes that the nation needs, and that government predicted would be harvested locally.31 The government nonetheless continues to obfuscate, and to deny a looming food shortage. As recently as 10 October 2004, Mugabe stated in Maputo that there was no need for donor food this year.32 During 2004, the WFP has been forced by the Zimbabwe government to scale down dramatically its operations, so that it is now feeding around 500,000 recipients, mainly children. Previously, WFP was feeding 5,000,000 people. Members of government including the President, have insisted that government would not be purchasing and importing any food this year. But it has in the meantime secretly been importing food while denying it is doing so, with another 300,000 tonnes having allegedly been brought in recently.33 Fears are, that the reason the government is shutting the WFP out of some of the most vulnerable areas in need of food, and importing food rather than accepting donor support, is so 27 Ibid, page 14. Zimbabwe Electoral Supervisory Network, a local NGO, produced an election report on Lupane that documented this. 29 Sky News, 22 May 2004. 30 AI, op cit, October 2004, cites Food and Agricultural Organisation/ WFP Special Report, 5 July 2004. 31 The Zimbabwe Independent, GMB fails to prove claims of bumper harvest, 10 September 2004. 32 Zim Online (SA), Mugabe spurns food aid again, 12 October 2004. 33 Zim Online (SA), Government to import another 300,000 tonnes of maize, 13 October 2004. 28 25