Source: War vets dump ‘genocidal’ Mugabe – NewsDay Zimbabwe July 22, 2016
War veterans yesterday broke ranks and said they were withdrawing their support for President Robert Mugabe, accusing the veteran leader of “declaring war” on them.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
In a hard-hitting and emotionally-charged communiqué at the end of a meeting laden with high drama, the ex-combatants described Mugabe as manipulative and the greatest beneficiary of the country’s war efforts against racial discrimination and segregation.
The war veterans said Mugabe, who promised 2,2 million jobs in the run-up to the 2013 general elections, had failed to use his mandate.
“We note with concern, shock and dismay the systematic entrenchment of dictatorial tendencies, personified by the President and his cohorts, which have slowly devoured the values of the liberation struggle in utter disregard of the Constitution, as demonstrated by (among other things) the deliberate neglect and abandonment by the party president of the masses, who are the foundation upon which the liberation war was fought and won,” the war veterans said.
They said they would not support Mugabe in 2018 and declared that their beleaguered chairman, Christopher Mutsvangwa, would remain their leader despite being fired from Cabinet, the ruling party and Parliament.
Addressing a meeting of the former freedom fighters, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association national political commissar Francis Nhando called on Mugabe to resign, describing him as a hard sell.
“We are saying this country will only go up when Mugabe steps aside because his management is no longer respected by anyone, including his own ministers,” Nhando said.
“If he announces his retirement date, the economy will improve because there is nobody who will invest his money where the future is uncertain. Nobody will lend money to a 92-year-old and if he does not step aside, 2018 will be the most difficult year to campaign for us as war veterans.
“How do you campaign for someone you do not like and who does not like you, either? The relationship between us as war veterans and the President has broken down, he and the party don’t like us anymore.”
The former fighters described the recent Zanu PF million-man march as “ideologically bankrupt [move] organised in honour of a bankrupt leadership” and scoffed at the continued internal purges in the former liberation movement.
“When Mr Robert Mugabe arrived in Mozambique, he walked in to join those of us who were already armed and prosecuting the war as political soldiers. He was not the president of the party, but we made him so, thinking he was one of us,” the statement read.
Click here to download the full war veterans’ statement
“This depicts the President’s lifetime character of always manipulating situations and alienating others from vantage positions for his personal interests.”
For the first time, the former freedom fighters openly accused Mugabe of eliminating his opponents during the bush war and creating factions for his own ends.
“The President’s systematic elimination of those in the struggle’s leadership and his continued outfoxing of colleagues in leadership after independence up to this day is unmistakable. The current situation, whereby the party is fragmented with formations and so-called factions, is clearly the President’s project again to outfox his peers in leadership,” the ex-fighters said.
Mugabe, the war veterans said, had “always survived on divide-and-rule tactics in order to protect his party presidential position each time he has felt threatened”.
They said the 92-year-old leader was behind the creation of the Gamatox faction that precipitated former Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s demise along with other party stalwarts.
“Typical of the President, he has mobilised those of his Gamatox nemesis to boost his G40 project, rewarding them with all sorts of gifts, including ministerial posts, despite the charges originally made against them like treason,” the communiqué added.
They said Zanu PF should credit them for its rural strength “yet the President thinks we have no right to challenge his bigoted political views”.
“His persecution, decimation and expulsion of war veterans from the party under his watch is legendary. From the days of the liberation struggle, history records that his egocentric approach to party and national politics has led to the demise of many a party member on flimsy grounds. We say not anymore. Never shall we allow him such free rein,” the belligerent statement continued.
And the emotive Gukurahundi episode came for special mention.
“Labelling of peaceful war veterans as dissidents induces in us a sense of shock, dismay and revulsion in light of the history of the 1980s. It will be recalled that our fellow war veterans and masses in the western regions suffered brutal purges, which only the Unity Accord pacified,” the war veterans said.
“Particularly worrisome in this context is the fact that while the man has dismissed the sad period as a ‘moment of madness’, such language belies his insincerity in the Unity Accord.
“He (Mugabe) should be extending honestly remorseful regret over this foul deed, yet he appears to extol this as some macabre virtue. His continued resort to genocidal language should worry every right-thinking citizen as to his true nature. This is unacceptable to the memories of those who perished during this time.”
The former freedom fighters condemned Mugabe’s continued abuse of State power.
“We, therefore, abhor instances where instruments of State power have been used to brutalise private citizens who share our desire to exercise our constitutionally entrenched rights and freedoms.
“We categorically reject the notion that those expressing views different to those that we hold are agents of foreign powers and, therefore, enemies of the State,” the war veterans said, adding such thinking “contemptuously implies that Zimbabweans lack capacity to rationalise issues, think through their problems and take decisive action”.
The former freedom fighters said Mugabe should be reminded that “respect must not be equated to fear”.
“We do not subscribe to the unbridled exercise of power without consultation, where threats of genocidal magnitude are made against us. He should be reminded that he remains the major beneficiary of the national war effort at every stage, including the Unity Accord,” they said.
Mugabe, the war veterans said, had used his privilege of leadership to build a patronage system around himself, “which has turned into a personality cult”, adding the veteran Zanu PF leader was now bent on turning the current generation against former freedom fighters.
The war veterans listed a litany of scandals including those at Zesa, Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara), Ziscosteel, NetOne and Zupco among many that indicated the failure of Mugabe’s leadership.
“The above instances demonstrate beyond any reasonable doubt that the party leader has absolutely no clue as to the difference between public funds earned from taxation of the people and private individual income,” the statement concluded.
COMMENTS
“In a hard-hitting and emotionally-charged communiqué at the end of a meeting laden with high drama, the ex-combatants described Mugabe as manipulative and the greatest beneficiary of the country’s war efforts against racial discrimination and segregation.”
what a joke!! mugarbage and his ‘wovits’ are the worst racists that have ever existed!!
The common people have felt this anger all along, election, after election. It took veterans this long, but many have died singing the same song.
Mugabe needs to be arested and excuted the sheshescue style in the stadium surely he killed many prominent Zimbabweans before and even continues to do so, why is he left to do as he pleases with people’s lives eeh
Only now they figure out that Mugabe hates everyone that is not him.
Yeah tight grace abounds to our nation
So, the Whore Vets turn against the boss of Organised Crime? No doubt they don’t think he can give them any more bribes?
Fellow Zimbabweans, I read this communique and prayed first before I sent this comment. Last Tuesday we all witnessed when a pastor, E Mawarire was called a ‘dog’ for asking the Zim Flag to protect it’s citizens. Above we read that despite HE President of GOZ RGM having been invited to lead ZANLA from a teaching post in Mozambique back then, he did not have covalues that are necessary to govern Zimbabwe let alone move forward the country forward. He only stayed in office by MANIPULATING citizens through various and some unimaginable schemes. He led by divinding all around in politics, business and civil society.
What it means is that, HE lost the mandate to govern Zimbabwe a long time ago. In fact he has no skill to govern but rules with his brainless wife. These are birds of the same feathers ie ‘pathologically sick patients’.
How can the pair of sick people sit at the top of GOZ and hope that there will be a turnaround of the destroyed economy? HE has no character/humility even to realise he is no longer wanted and is no longer relevant to Zimbabwe. Since he loves absolute power and will use anyone to crush any opposition to his rule what options do we have? A peaceful VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE. How? ICT can be one route but managed in the DIASPORA where millions of Zimbabweans live against their wish.
This is only one option. Citizens can have other suggestions. In addition since the economy is 95% in private hands, we should withold taxes.It’s better now than during an election year as it might be misunderstood for political campaign.
Zimbabwe needs to be restored to former glory so that the people can SURVIVE. We have political independence but a despot/a dictator, GOZ leader in place, a single entity ruining our lovely country, breaking the spines of millions, ruling with absolute power.
I wish to advise the nation to listen to citizens’ concerns and in particular to those who have been working with him at close range, the liberation war heroes; on how we have been DIVIDED and MISRULED by a failed, aged politician HE The President of Zimbabwe RGM to DESTRUCTION.
May the Almighty, Our Lord, GOD, take charge of every step we take and strengthen us.
VaChihera: Professor
Yes Prof I agree…. It is time for change and we must ALL do whatever it takes to be rid of the evil cancer of RGM and all his thieving cohorts. We must frustrate the system by any means and close them down and not stop until we are free of the scourge.
“Unity Accord” polite expression to describe the abject surrender by Nkomo to stop the genocide in Matabeleland.
Yetshwa,its now you versus your own. children..alala. The unemployed,uneducated,educated but unemployed all in the same bracket of poverty..halala..youths versus war vets..halala…youths versus pot beating mothers alala,yetshwa.
yah..thats the beginning of a revolution yalala.
its true that this dictator must be arrested. we suffered a lot under his rule. Infact all the zanu pf people must be arrested. Their properties repossessed. its so painful
If the dead can talk,they will say count us too because we fought for our rights too unfortunately they cannot,you don’t need inyangas to tell this Stuped goverment that the country is going down they too see that its only that greedy keeps them wanting more an more until the banks say their accounts are unfilable with money then they start caring for the poor fellow citizens,how can an 92yr old bring change when himself too cannot afford to change his own shoes he need someone to help,wake up an smell a coffe to all those who still fill up the stadium for the old horse thinking jobs fall on trees.
Unfortunately, I have known this fool (The Ancient Tokoloshe) for a very long time. His only where he is by getting others to kill for him, right from the very start of his career. But he hid it better, early on. If you want to know his true nature and what he would like to do to anyone who does not praise him, just remember gukurahundi. That is the REAL Mugabe and he has never changed. He is incapable of change.
Well, it’s nice to read after 30+ years someone developed the balls to finally start barking. Still…….isn’t it about time someone bit the old snake? Maybe even bite it’s head off?