It is fundamentally unsound and morally reprehensible to deliberately destabilize the agricultural sector, instigating food insecurity as a strategy to sustain illegitimate rule. The Zanu PF, an unauthorized political entity accountable for the current food crisis, has grievously misjudged the bounds to which it can procure and perpetuate power perpetually by exploiting and beguiling susceptible households through food giveaways such as mealie meal, as demonstrated in Bindura during the by-elections.

The culpability for this food crisis rests squarely on the shoulders of the destructive Zanu PF. This assertion becomes crystal clear when examining their populist politics that expedited an unorganized, rampant land seizure initiative. Seeking to maintain control and secure the backing of myopic, easily fooled war veterans veering towards the opposition, the insecure and unauthorized Zanu PF opted to prolong its time for pillaging and predation by setting in motion this hasty, tumultuous land acquisition spree.

This decision was fueled by the belief that emotionally swayed individuals, grateful for their new lands and with no farming experience, financial backing, or genuine interest in agriculture, would vote in favor of Zanu PF. The fallout from this rash decision was predictable. While the destructive Zanu PF succeeded in buying time, the manipulated citizenry bore the brunt of their deceit, manifesting in widespread food insecurity.

This led the country down a path of exporting its produce and depending on donor assistance or non-governmental organizations like the World Food Program and World Vision, mirroring war-torn nations. Populism, the root cause of the food insecurity, has not only spurred the current food crisis that Zanu PF exploited in the recent elections but also triggered property and human rights infringements and desecrated the nation’s supreme laws. These transgressions painted the struggling state as exceedingly hostile to capital investment.

The international perception of being a country excessively antagonistic towards capital, primarily due to gross human and property rights violations, resulted in a scarcity of capital influx to invest in areas like agricultural modernization. This lack of capital signaled the slow demise of the agricultural sector, intensifying food insecurity. This left three out of five households vulnerable to the ravages of food shortages, a situation the unauthorized Zanu PF misjudged as a prime opportunity for exploitation, viewing it as an accessible, ripe fruit ready for plucking.

However, their miscalculations were met with a vigilant populace who resisted Zanu PF’s deceptive maneuvers and manipulations. In a show of collective wrath, the donated maize meal was reclaimed, a signal that the people will remember the exploitation and deception when 2023 arrives.