via Mugabe has no respect for war veterans: Mliswa – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 17, 2016
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has little respect for Zimbabwe’s former fighters and is likely to pass the baton to a civilian, former Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial chairperson, Temba Mliswa claimed.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
Mliswa told journalists at a Press briefing on Monday that veterans of the liberation struggle have themselves to blame for the situation Zanu PF finds itself in.
“They heckled with (the late Mozambican President) Samora Machel for three months over Mugabe’s eligibility to lead the struggle and the fighters. Machel told them he did not trust Mugabe, but they went against his wise counsel to appoint him leader,” he said.
Mliswa said Mugabe was not a war veteran, hence, he has little regard for them.
“They appointed a civilian and now he is going to leave power to his wife – also a civilian. Mugabe is not a war veteran, so he does not respect them or their opinion,” the former Hurungwe West lawmaker said.
After his famed crossing into Mozambique in 1975 to join the then guerrilla fighters, Mugabe was reportedly restricted to the coastal town of Quilimane by a sceptical Machel, before he was accepted as Zanu leader by military leaders, among them the late Solomon Mujuru and Josiah Tongogara.
A special congress held in Chimoio in 1977 installed Mugabe as Zanu leader, before his triumphant return to lead the country to independence in 1980.
Mliswa urged Mugabe to accept gays and lesbians so the country can access foreign funding.
“This idea of grandstanding about the issue of homosexuals does not help us. We all know that there are people sitting in high offices, with multi-lateral institutions who are gays. These are the same people we expect to give the green-light to the release of funding into the country, but then we turn around and berate them,” he said.
“I have nothing against gays, but I do not like the hypocrisy being shown by the system. They work with gays, but then claim to hate them.”
COMMENTS
It seems quite selfish to think that only veterans should lead the country. Look at what happened after we gave the key to those who were in Mozambique before during and after the war. It seems those people were up to enriching themselves. who does not have a farm? All veterans in power grabbed all the land they could, they demanded thousands of dollars to help themselves, and still do demand more. How mush should we pay the so called veterans. People who were in the country also contributed and assisted those who were coming to fight. Many civilians were murdered by the Smith regime and comrades who were crossing the boarder. So the civilians need respect and the honor they deserve as fellow Zimbabweans
We fought the war of liberation to restore equality to all. To eliminate class discrimination. Now we have this nonsense that calls itself war vets. We have another class of rulers in zanu. These two have made our lives worse than under Ian Smith.