Tsholotsho councillor, GMB staffer in inputs storm

CITIZENS' Coalition for Change (CCC) councillor for Ward 18 in Tsholotsho District, David Mpala and a Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depot staffer are being accused of demanding money from locals for the delivery of agricultural inputs under the Presidential Inputs Scheme.

The villagers were allegedly made to pay R25 for a 50kg of fertiliser and 5kg of maize seed and the fee is purported to be money for transport costs.

However, Government has contracted transporters to deliver the inputs under the Climate-Proofed Intwasa/Pfumvudza Presidential Input Scheme.

Under the programme, Government intends to assist 3,5 million smallholder farmers countrywide with free inputs to ensure household and national food security.

The programme is in line with the Second Republic's thrust of modernising the country's pivotal agriculture sector through enhancing production and productivity in line with the US$8,2 billion Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy.

A Chronicle news crew visited Dlamdema Business Centre and observed scores of villagers gathered to collect the inputs.

The GMB staffer (name supplied) was overseeing the distribution exercise while Clr Mpala was taking a nap on the passenger's seat of his South African registered vehicle.

Unbeknown to the GMB employee that the news crew was now part of the crowd, he told villagers that for one to get the inputs, they must pay R25 for the delivery of fertiliser and maize seed.

An unidentified woman was collecting the money, which was not being receipted.

Quizzed on why he was charging the money, the GMB employee claimed the money was for transport costs from Tsholotsho to Dlamdema, a distance of about 45km.

On that particular day, there were 560 bags of both fertiliser and maize seed which translates to R14 000 pocketed, allegedly by Clr Mpala and the GMB staffer.

Clr Mpala claimed that the money belonged to the transporter whom they hired. There were two trucks carrying the inputs, one was South African-registered while the other was a local one.

Villagers alleged that the trucks belonged to Clr Mpala.

"It's not that we are selling these inputs. The money we are charging is for transport because GMB does not have transport," he said.

"We will also give some of the money as an allowance to GMB staff and the police officer who accompanied us."

Clr Mpala could not say how much the transporter charged to carry the inputs from Tsholotsho to Dlamdema.

Contacted for comment, Tsholotsho GMB depot manager Mrs Lydia Moyo expressed shock, saying it was illegal.

"This is rather a shock to me. On the day in question, Clr Mpala came to us and said he needed inputs for his ward and told us that he had his own transport," she said.

"I am not aware that they then went on to charge our farmers. All that we did as GMB was to provide them with our staff member and a police officer to oversee the distribution."

Under Statutory Instrument 247 of 2018, Agriculture Marketing Authority (Command Agriculture Scheme for Domestic Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Production) Regulations, sections 5,6 and 7, it is an offence for both the distributor and receiver to sell inputs under the Presidential Inputs Scheme.