Source: Matemadanda reacts angrily to Chamisa attack – DailyNews Live
Tendai Kamhungira 4 October 2018
HARARE – MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa drew fierce reaction from
an angry Defence and War Veterans deputy minister Victor Matemadanda after
the youthful politician accused him of enjoying State feather-beddings and
joining a rich elite while his constituency of ex-liberation fighters
continued to wallow in abject poverty.
Chamisa used a ceremony to welcome war veterans that defected from
embattled Joice Mujuru’s National People’s Party (NPP) to make a political
point that Matemadanda was now living a good life, while other war
veterans are suffering, reclining in the lap of luxury of the
featherbeddings he is enjoying while in a position of influence as deputy
minister, an assertion that has riled the deputy minister who feels he was
unfairly bad-mouthed.
Among the large contingent of war veterans from NPP welcomed by Chamisa at
the MDC headquarters was ex-Zanu PF member and former minister Dzikamai
Mavhaire, who joined the MDC Alliance.
Chamisa said: “Kwete zvinoitwa neZanu PF zvekuti vashoma ndivo vanodya
vachiguta. Ma war veterans anodiwa kana paitwa huyanga, varutsa,
vozoshandiswa sechikorobho asi kana pavapakudya vonzi munotaurisa, hamuna
ma table manners.
“Iyezvino Matemadanda akazorwa nhopi pamuromo, avakutoti zvinhu zvanaka,
asi (Douglas) Mahiya kana donhwe zvaro renhopi. (We do not do what they do
in Zanu PF, where war veterans are used and dumped. Matemadanda was
placated with a ministerial post, and now believes everything is OK, yet
his colleague Mahiya was not rewarded with anything),” Chamisa said,
tongue-in-cheek.
Former combatants often complain that they are neglected, sidelined from
assuming senior posts in government, and say despite their lifetime
commitment, have failed to pursue opportunities to make their lives
somewhat whole again.
But government funds school fees and provides funeral cover for veterans,
whose current monthly pension and allowance comes to around $200.
Outraged Matemadanda came out swinging, accusing the opposition leader of
desperately seeking attention by mentioning “real war veterans” like him.
A fuming Matemadanda rejected Chamisa’s characterisation of Mavhaire as a
war veteran.
“It’s naive for a person who has hopes to lead this country to think that
any person, who once belonged to Zanu PF (Mavhaire), is a war veteran.
This is a clear sign of desperation,” Matemadanda fumed in an unsolicited
statement.
He claimed Chamisa was a son of a Rhodesian African Rifles soldier, and
did not know the definition of a war veteran. Chamisa was born to Alice
and Sylvanus Chamisa on February 2, 1978, at Silveira Mission in Fort
Victoria, now Masvingo.
“May he respectfully be told that if Mavhaire is a war veteran, then he is
the class of Chamisa’s father, a Rhodesian war veteran, and not the
veteran of the liberation struggle,” Matemadanda said.
“If Chamisa lives in Zimbabwe, he should know that (Douglas) Mahiya is my
deputy in the politburo and that he is full time secretary in my
department.
“Headman Moyo is a director in the same department. In fact, the
department has several war veterans. We are not like him who is only
concerned about himself,” he said.
After receiving the NPP war veterans, Chamisa said the MDC Alliance wanted
to go back to the nationalist ethos.
“So, we are going to amend our constitution to create a wing for our war
veterans,” Chamisa said.
“We are not like Zanu PF that wants to only use them and dump them. We
want to fuse them into the party. We will also not waste talent by
relegating the likes of Mavhaire to the periphery. We will accommodate you
at the top because you are our hero. I grew up admiring you especially
when your first called for Mugabe to go. That was courage because he was
dangerous, you could have been killed,” he said.
Matemadanda showered praises on President Emmerson Mnangagwa, claiming he
has already done a lot to improve the lot of war veterans.
Matemadanda said war veterans across the country were recently given party
cars to use in running their department, which is a clear sign that the
government is committed to improving their lives.
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