via Mugabe misled: War vets – NewsDay Zimbabwe April 6, 2016
President Robert Mugabe is surrounded by regime change agents, who want to protect their ill-gotten wealth, war veterans have alleged ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with the 92-year-old leader.
by ELIAS MAMBO/EVERSON MUSHAVA
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) secretary-general Victor Matemadanda said the former freedom fighters were not baying for Mugabe’s blood, as was being alleged by the G40 faction in Zanu PF, but merely wanted to protect the President.
“We do not want to remove President Mugabe from power. We are very much aware that the President was elected after we campaigned vigorously,” he said.
“There is no way the war veterans can push out their patron and there is no way a group of arrivistes (over-ambitious, self-seeking new political arrivals) can claim to protect the President more than the securocrats, who have always done so.”
Matemadanda alleged Mugabe was now surrounded by a group of pretenders eager to remove him from power.
“(Higher Education minister) Jonathan Moyo is on record, and we have videos, where he is saying the only way to destroy Zanu PF is from within,” Matemadanda claimed, although the Tsholotsho North legislator has maintained he has never said this.
“He is on record urging the world to punish the Mugabe regime and now he claims to be strongly behind Mugabe.
“Shadreck Mashayamombe told Mugabe that (First Lady) Grace Mugabe will not be accepted in Harare.
The President had to warn everyone that Harare is for everyone. We are all aware that Kudzi Chipanga is a Gamatox (the pejorative label for the expelled faction led by ousted former Vice-President Joice Mujuru) to the bare bones. He confessed recently at a Mazowe rally that he was now behind Mugabe after the youth league wanted to push him out.”
Matemadanda said most of the officials who were being loud in Zanu PF did not love Mugabe.
“They are making a lot of noise yet we know they have hidden agendas. They want to disturb our meeting on Thursday (tomorrow) by making rogue statements in the media,” he continued.
“Take stock of them and you will see they are all land barons and businessmen who have abused the party to accumulate wealth.”
Other war veterans said they were aware of moves by G40 to muzzle them from expressing their views to Mugabe at tomorrow’s meeting, but vowed to explore various avenues to reach the veteran leader with their concerns.
Some war veterans, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said even if they were blocked, that would not signal their end and they would find a way to reach Mugabe either at the meeting or some time later.
They said they suspected the meeting would not genuinely address the concerns of the former freedom fighters, but would be used to remove war veterans chairman Christopher Mutsvangwa.
“We know G40 does not want us to have a direct interface with President Mugabe for us to express our views, but we will find a way. We are not afraid to express our views,” a war veteran said.
“We are aware that G40 is driving the whole process and it will be more of a Zanu PF meeting than our platform to express our concerns. That is why they limited our number from 35 000 to only 10 000, they don’t want us to be more powerful.”
The relationship between Mugabe and the war veterans has been turbulent in the past few weeks, with the veteran leader accusing the former fighters of mobilising for his ouster.
War veterans, on the other hand, have been challenging Mugabe to rein in his wife and the G40 faction, but he has said he will not bow to the demands of an affiliate body.
“We even thought that other war veterans like former Vice-President Joice Mujuru, Rugare Gumbo, Didymus Mutasa, Jabulani Sibanda and Dumiso Dabengwa, who are no longer in Zanu PF, should attend, as it was a meeting of war veterans. They are still war vets and nothing will take that from them,” another war veteran said.
“But as you know, we are under siege, things were just offered to us to take; we cannot challenge that as it would be viewed as confrontation.
“Our fellow comrades outside Zanu PF should understand that we are with them, but we are under siege. What is happening is beyond our control.”
A preliminary meeting will start today, with war veterans expected to be broken into thematic groups on welfare, politics and the economy, among others, and then it will go into a plenary session, where their concerns will be noted and be presented to Mugabe tomorrow.
There are limited chances the war veterans will have a direct chance to interface with their patron.
Mutsvangwa, whom they said would be a target at the meeting, will deliver the welcoming remarks, according to the programme.
ZNLWVA spokesperson Douglas Mahiya declined to comment on the matter, opting to say they hoped to have an opportunity to express their concerns to Mugabe.
Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi, who is co-ordinating tomorrow’s meeting, could not be reached for comment.
COMMENTS
Someone needs to make it clear to this idiot HIGHFIELD West MP Psychology Maziwisa (Zanu PF) from the so called G40 Faction. That if it was not for those so called uneducated War Vets. Your disrespectful young Ass would not have an education today as the white people didn’t want you to have. You have this education not because of what your President did, but only because of what War Vets did to give their lives for you disrespectful young ungrateful ass. Your President never fought a day in any battle for liberation of this country. He was not even a soldier. His claim he spent 10 years in prison while those War Vets men and women shed their blood for the liberation of Zimbabwe. These are the facts. How many times have your President met with his liberators over the past 36 years to help these hero’s. This will be only the second time in 36 years. They get nothing from this government as they suffer through this life of freedom that they gave this country. While you’re President appoints Ministers in key positions and loot the country and live lavish life styles. While those, as you say uneducated Vets suffer and die in poverty. Your President should be on his hands and knees. As he owes his position to these vets. And the only reason that the G40 kisses the President Ass is to stay in good grace with him as those who seek higher positions so they can live lavish life styles so the people of this country can go on and continue suffering. How do you open your mouth and disrespect an Elder for any reason. You fight for the respect of your President. But your President has never fought for those freedom fighters that made that position he stands in possible for him. While Bob worships the God of his oppressors and has turned his back on his own ancestors. This is why this country is screwed up. A leader that teaches his people to worship a white man’s God. Really? Can a Slave and a Slave Master worship the same God? He hates white people so much, but he and his wife teaches the people to now down to your enemies God. This is why this country continues to suffer. It is said God created man in his own image. So why do you not have the image of God in your image as a black person. But in this country you have the image of a white man as your God? And you wonder why this country and our people worldwide still are suffering. You should always remember yesterday. As it will be the only road for you today and have a future for your children tomorrow. Loyalty to only an individual only creates an idol. Loyalty to your people and culture gets you the blessing of the Ancestors. Use some of that education that others died for you to get. And start showing respect to all your Elders. Because in the end. Those are the only Gods that will save you. In the real world, in this environment, Zimbabweans have been taught to Idol worship. The facts are there should be no one person that is reflective of a Master over the people of Zimbabwe. If the President continues with the 36 year old speech of he alone will not let Zimbabwe fall back in colonial hands, that is a great sentiment for the people. But at the same time the country has fallen in it’s own self inflicted cycle of Colonial Politics. The very thing that made this country suffer for over 100 years is the very thing that is still making this country suffer today. Only thing different now is it has a black face on it. People are taught here that if you disagree with the government or lack of leadership you are somehow being disloyal to the status quo. This is suppose to be a Democracy as to what the President has convinced the people of. But he is still the rule of law, that’s the only word is his word alone. So what is the purpose of a free vote? But in the end, nature will correct this problem, history proves this much. Look at the rest of the world. Time is running out for those who worship a Idol. And not your Ancestors. And the Ancestors will all ways be the last word. You can make paper Hero’s in death. But it is the surviving Hero’s that will face the Idol in the eyes and look into his soul, and the truth will pour out.
The good thing about time is. None of us humans on the realm can control it.
The resolutions have been finalized already, so much that tomorrow’s gathering is mere formality to endorsing them
Tomorrow is always a new day. Time has run out for Idols. Whatever is done it will be a change.
One can only sympathize with the war vets. they lost their youth, never got rehabilitated fully into society and have been exploited and abused for selfish aims since. Poor souls. But still the numbers presented here are questionable – if we still have 35,000 of them alive and active 36 years after the war, then how many exactly did the actual fighting? 60,000+? If that was the case why were we not able to win a decisive battle and march into Salisbury instead of being tricked at Lancaster House and being herded like sheep into Assembly Points?
The whore-vets are guilty of two cardinal sins – greed and stupidity. They deserve all they (don’t) get. LOL
Wow!!!! Really do not know what to say to that. Whore Vets? Wow!!!