Govt Officials Allegedly Demand Sex for Food at Chingwizi Camp

WASHINGTON —  The situation at Chingwizi transit camp in Masvingo is fast reaching boiling point with flood victims accusing government officials of demanding sexual favours from young desperate teenagers in exchange for food.

Though admitting that the food situation has reached serious levels, Masvingo Resident Minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti is refuting the allegations that government officials are now abusing desperate flood victims.

The government needs about 156,000 tonnes of maize meal a month to feed the more than 20,000 families displaced by floods from Tokwe Mukosi in February.

But the humanitarian appeal for Chingwizi has been hit hard by donor fatigue and the cash-strapped government is struggling to raise enough resources to relocate the flood victims to nuanetsi ranch in the province.

Bhasikiti said he met the flood victims Monday to verify the allegations but found them to be untrue. He, however, admited that the food situation is getting desperate.

Interview With Kudakwashe Bhasikiti

Chingwizi villager, Milton Shumba told VOA Studio 7 that government officials are taking advantage of desperate victims.

Interview With Milton Shumba

Meanwhile, a youth organization Practical Empowerment Networking Youth Association (PENYA), says it is teaming up with US-based globalgiving.org, a crowd sourcing website, to raise funds to help the Tokwe Mukosi flood victims.

The project is expected to be launched on Saturday and the group expects to raise $5,000 for the initial phase. Once PENYA raises the initial amount in 30 days, globalgiving will launch the full program aimed at raising at least $79,000 to build low cost classrooms and furnish them.