Source: Mugabe, war vets clash looms – DailyNews Live
31 July 2017
HARARE – War veterans from ZNLWVA have threatened to take the war to
President Robert Mugabe if he does not resolve the thorny succession issue
their way.
This comes as permanent secretary in the ministry of War Veterans Walter
Tapfumaneyi told the State-controlled media that Mugabe would soon meet
war veterans.
Matemadanda told the Daily News that they see no reason to engage Mugabe
unless he addresses their concerns and also censures his wife.
“We have heard about that meeting but we are not part of that process,
most of the war veterans are members of ZNLWVA, we have not taken any
position as the association on whether we should attend or not but I don’t
see the reason to congregate when there is nothing that is done about our
welfare.
“Last year, Mugabe promised us many things but everything has been given
to the Chinese, it is better for the money that will be used to book
hotels to be channelled to suffering war veterans, we would rather not
have the meeting,” said Matemadanda.
Last year, war veterans met with Mugabe and aired their grievances
demanding among other things access to land, school fees for their
children and also health benefits.
However, Tapfumaneyi told the State media that so far nothing has been
done to improve the welfare of war veterans who he said continue losing
their land to corrupt individuals.
“Numerous land displacements have occurred, and the president addressed
that issue at length, saying nobody should be removed from their allocated
land procedurally. The complaints are so many that the documentation
involved is a nightmare! There is floor-to-ceiling paperwork, and the
ministry is understaffed.
“Over 2 627 land applications have been received from war veterans, war
collaborators, ex-detainees and widows of veterans.
“On the other hand, 106 war veterans, 26 war collaborators and six widows
have been arbitrarily displaced from their pieces of land,” said
Tapfumaneyi.
Amid relentless purges, during a meeting with Mugabe in April last year,
the ex-combatants demanded that the president reins in the ruling party’s
national disciplinary committee (NDC), as well as its commissariat, which
they accused of dividing the party through “unwarranted” suspensions.
The war veterans also declared that they were the rightful custodians of
Zanu PF’s ideological orientation, also arguing that the party’s central
committee should be responsible for ensuring discipline in the party, and
not the NDC.
However, as things stand Mugabe has not tinkered with the commissariat
much to the chagrin of war veterans who regard themselves as stakeholders
in Zanu PF.
“The issue of monarchies or dynasties is no longer about war veterans
alone so is the issue of the commissariat department. Look at what has
happened. We are now talking about three vice presidents, why? We have a
country where a top civil servant is dressed down with the president
sleeping. This now needs all Zimbabweans to say enough is enough,” said
Matemadanda.
However, Tapfumaneyi appeared to suggest in the interview with the State
media that ZNLWVA is not representative of all former freedom fighters.
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