Confusion over war vets accreditation

via Confusion over war vets accreditation – Sunday News Apr 3, 2016

Vusumuzi Dube and Lackson Munkombwe Sunday News Reporters
TWO groups of war veterans in Bulawayo are fighting for control of the Thursday meeting with President Mugabe with both claiming to be in charge of compiling the list of those who will attend the crunch meeting. Yesterday two rival factions held separate meetings in the city where each vowed they were the recognised war veterans’ body and further claimingthat it was their members who will be accredited to attend the meeting.

One group is led by Cde Roy Maphosa and held its meeting at the Zanu-PF provincial headquarters, Davies Hall while the other led by Cde Cephas Ncube had its meeting at the Entumbane war veterans’ provincial office.

Addressing just over 50 members who attended the Davies Hall meeting, Cde Maphosa said the Cde Ncube faction were mere imposters who wanted to destroy Zanu-PF from within. He said they would soon be taking back their Entumbane offices, revealing that even the ruling party recognised them as the official grouping of war veterans in the province.

“Entumbane offices have now been turned into a haven for enemies of the State, we all know what they are doing. Soon we will be moving to reclaim what is ours because frankly speaking no one there knows how and why those offices were established.

“The people there are causing confusion. Right now it is well known that the accreditation process will be done through us but I am told that they are busy doing the same. My advice to them is that they should stop misleading people. We have sent some of our members to their meeting to find out what it is really they are trying to do,” said Cde Maphosa.

He said they were completing their registration and vetting process after which they will then await the official accreditation to be done by the Joint Operation Command(JOC).

“This is a three-day process where we are aiming to come up with 65 members for every district. We know that the other faction is telling their members that they are doing the accreditation process yet the truth is JOC is responsible for that.

“We really won’t get sleepless nights over people we know don’t have the party at heart. During the Harare preparatory meeting it was emphasised that people to attend should be loyal cadres of the ruling party, which is what we are that is why we hold our meetings at the provincial headquarters, as for them they are busy inviting people who were long expelled by the party,” said Cde Maphosa.

Meanwhile, addressing the Entumbane meeting, Cde Ncube said they were not moved by the Cde Maphosa faction alleging that they would just go ahead with preparations for the meeting and had since managed to register more than 420 members from the 13 districts in Bulawayo.

“We have over 420 registered members in our association,” Cde Ncube said. “Accreditation will be carried on as from tomorrow (today), with JOC facilitating the proceedings. JOC has been involved to ensure that all registered and accredited members are Zanu-PF patriots.”

He said war veterans from the 13 districts attended the meeting including those from their South African district.

“We do not discriminate anyone as we believe that we are all fighting the same battle to uplift the nation. Those who want to be accredited from this side will be welcome to this point. As you can see more than 100 comrades from different districts attended the meeting,” Cde Ncube said.

He laughed out the Cde Maphosa’s allegations that they were causing confusion in the whole process claiming everyone was fully aware of where they stood in terms of loyalty.

“We are loyal Zanu-PF cadres. There is no confusion among war veterans. Everyone knows what they are doing and what they want,” said Cde Ncube.

However, contacted for comment yesterday Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association chairperson Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa said they were satisfied with the preparations.

“Everything is set, JOC is overseeing the accreditation and vetting process, which we expect to go ahead without any setbacks,” said Cde Mutsvangwa.

War Veterans patron President Mugabe is expected to meet the freedom fighters on Thursday for a candid interaction which will allow the freedom fighters to air their grievances on all aspects.

The meeting would be all encompassing as it would feature Cabinet Ministers and commanders in charge of the country’s security sectors in their capacity as war veterans.

This came after the war veterans, under the leadership of Cde Mutsvangwa, had their meeting cancelled a couple of months ago because it was not sanctioned by the police.

The President was quoted as saying the meeting would be an opportunity to correct some war veterans who, of late, have gone rogue and displayed wayward behaviour.

“We want all the war veterans to come to Harare during the first week of April, you will be informed about the date,” he said during a rally recently held in Bindura.