“I think this year has been very difficult for us because very few people throw away food. We are going hungry many times,” he said.

Kanhu’s father Tito, was for many years a farm labourer at one of the most productive farms in Karoi, before ZANU PF mobs led by rogue war veterans invaded the farm.

Kanhu’s father and mother were killed during skirmishes with the violent invaders, leaving him and his toddler sister orphaned. With no relative to turn to and nowhere to go after the new owner of the farm drove out all the farm workers, Kanhu and his sister tracked to Harare, some distances on foot and sometimes getting transport from well-wishers.

The food situation in the southern African nation has remained acute, compromised mostly by an often violent land reform that does not seem to be winding down.

The United Nations head in Zimbabwe, Agostinho Zacarias last week said the humanitarian situation remains serious in Zimbabwe amid cholera, starvation and a continuing economic crisis.

"Although Zimbabwe is not facing armed conflict, humanitarian threats such as food shortages and outbreak of diseases such as cholera pose a significant challenge," said Zacarias.


A UN humanitarian arm, last month said there was “not enough food to feed all 12.5 million Zimbabweans” and funding requirements to provide urgently-needed aid were only half met.

“Only 47 per cent of the $718 million needed to assist Zimbabwe, less than half has been committed to date. The funds are intended to boost access to clean water for 6 million people, feed nearly 3 million people and assist 1.5 million children in getting educations,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

According to an assessment by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and Zimbabwean government, only 1.4 million tonnes of cereal will be available domestically, compared to the more than 2 million needed.

A special report by FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to Zimbabwe dated 22 June 2009, recommended emergency assistance by the government and the international community in acquiring fertilizer and quality seed for delivery in September 2009 for the main season.

Nobert Dhokotera from Bindura said handouts were unavoaidable this year. Dhoketera said: “In this province there is nothing much that was done in the fields. Those who managed to till the land did not get much because they had no inputs. The farmers’ produce in the province will not sustain us. That means there is hunger again. People now have to depend on food handouts. In shops there’s now food but at least most of us can’t buy it because we are not working.”

The continued persecution of farmers, lawlessness on farms and land invasions has cast a damper on the inclusive government’s efforts to solicit for food and other aid.

Formed six months ago by perennial rivals President Robert Mugabe, of ZANU PF, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader and Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and leader of a smaller MDC faction, deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, the inclusive government has failed to put a stop to the farm disruptions blamed mostly on senior ZANU PF officials.

Zimbabwe’s agricultural demise to a basket case is largely blamed on the chaotic land reform programme initiated nine years by the country’s previous government.

“A country like Malawi, with half the country under the lake, produced 3.7 million tonnes of maize while Zimbabwe, with one of the best soils and climatic conditions in the region produced only 1.2 million tones of maize this year,” Tsvangirai told farmers in Gweru last week.
Agriculture formed the backbone of the southern African country’s economy at its peak, accounting for more than 30 percent of Zimbabwe’s employment.

Mutambara, who carried out a research into the latest surge in farm invasions, blamed the disruptions on “fraudulent” farm offer letters dished out by senior ZANU PF officials. He said the offer letters were creating confusion on the farms and were illegal.

“These farm invasions must stop. Let us have a land audit and rationalise the land programme,” said Mutambara.

As politicians continued to quibble on how to tackle the sensitive issue that ZANU PF has said was “irreversible”, lawlessness continued with senior army officers were leading farm disruptions.
In Headlands an army general, Austin Mujaji, has locked out a farmer, Charles Lock, owner of Karori Farm, and barred him from moving about five hundred tonnes of maize and export tobacco worth about US$700 000 to buyers.

Lock, who has obtained rulings in his favour in every court including written and oral support from the political leadership, has still failed to shake Mujaji off his farm.

In Kezi, Matabeleland province, Rudolph Isaac Du Preez, was dragged before a Gwanda magistrate last week for refusing to vacate his farm.

The failure by the inclusive government to deal austerely with lawlessness on the farms, the development has stopped potential investors from bringing in the much needed foreign direct investment.

“We are not happy at all because that is damaging our own standing as a country. Remember we are trying to invite investors to come to the country. How can they come when the current investors are having their assets taken without recourse to justice,” said Mutambara.

The FAO Mission said that most Zimbabwean communities would run out of food from their own production between June and September 2009.

FAO noted that various mechanisms of assistance, such as credit lines, contractual guarantees should be put in place to ensure local supply of high quality inputs and development of the country’s input industries (seed and fertilizer in particular).