via ‘These are now rebels’ | The Herald 8 November 2014
When the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association chairman Cde Jabulani Sibanda gave himself away by aligning with a particular faction in Zanu-PF and threatening to march to State House, elders in the association stood up to call the excitable cadre to order and passed a vote of no confidence in him. Our Senior Reporter Daniel Nemukuyu (DN) caught up with one of the elders and Zanu-PF Central Committee member Cde Victor Matemadanda (VM) who talks about factionalism, succession, some war veterans’ links with Americans, among other issues.
DN: Factional fights have seemingly played in the ranks of war veterans in the country. Where do you stand and what are your values?
VM: As elders we do not have a faction, but if there is any faction, we will be found on the side of President Mugabe, who can never be said to have a faction as he is a national leader. What we know is we have reached a stage where there are no factions in the party but we have people determined to grab power from President Mugabe. We can’t refer to these people as a faction anymore but maybe, rebels in the near future.
As war veterans, we are a reserve force. We cannot belong to any side other than that of President Mugabe because he is our patron and commander-in-chief.
We cherish the values of the legacy of the revolution that we fought. We have a legacy that was started way back by Mbuya Nehanda. That is the legacy that we think is Zimbabwean and it must not be disturbed.
DN: What kind of leadership should we expect from war veterans, following Jabulani Sibanda’s expulsion?
VM: One must be of 200 percent allegiance to the President. We want someone who understands where the revolution is going. There is no way you can have a commander-in-chief who you think you can argue with. If the commander decides to retire a general, the next thing, that general should pack his bags and go.
We must have a leader who is respected, able to engage the political leadership or even other people out there. A war veterans leader must be disciplined.
On the discipline issue, people should understand that war veterans came from vigorous training on discipline, tactics and also political orientation. That must be our guiding line. The problem with the Jabulani Sibanda executive is that it does not respect the commanders of war.
A disciplined war veteran respects his or her trainers despite the fact that he now holds a higher position in the party or other structures. If I meet one of my war trainers today, I will say “Makadii shefu”, despite the fact that I am now a central committee member. The opposite is true of these rascals who behave like they trained themselves and do not respect their own commanders.
DN: Describe Jabulani Sibanda’s relationship with other war veterans and the Elders of the Zimbabwe Liberation war Veterans Association?
VM: I managed the million man march as the commissar of the war veterans together with others but Jabulani now gives himself all the credit. Jabu is one person who, when he thinks one of his teammates seems to have appealed more to the people, becomes upset and takes the colleague as the number one enemy.
He is not in good books with many war vets. He is actually the committee himself. If you ask any one of his executives what programmes he was doing in the universities and colleges, no one knows.
We have secretaries in an association for various departments, who should be tasked to work on various issues but Jabu does everything on his own. If someone wants to donate, he is the recipient.
He doesn’t consult and he thinks he is Mr Perfect.
DN: Cde Sibanda snubbed the First Lady’s “Meet the People” rallies. Whose interests was he serving? Did you expect such behaviour from him?
VM: Jabu could not go to the meetings because that was against the wishes of his paymaster. He could have been fired today. If the war veterans chairman questions the First Lady’s entry into politics, that is insubordination at its best. That is not only insubordination but treasonous. The First Lady was clear that when women approached her, she did not accept but she consulted the President, who allowed her to follow her heart. If a person, a chairman claims he did not attend the rallies because the slogans were not sanctioned by the party,that will be very unfortunate.
There was a funny slogan saying “Pamberi ne Presidium” and Jabu was behind it. He never complained. He was happy about it because it promoted his group. Some group leaders equated themselves to the President when our normal slogan goes “Pamberi na President Mugabe”. Jabu is very clever he knew the implication of the slogan and that is the root of all these problems currently facing the party.
DN: What are your views of the succession issue? What qualities should a person who succeeds President Mugabe have?
VM: President Mugabe has not resigned. He has not even given any notice to do so. We have all endorsed President Mugabe for the 2018 election and I do not see any vacancy there. This means there is no succession to talk about. In any event, the one who is aspiring to take over from President wants to do it violently the Tsvangirai way.
This is why they are so disobedient.
However, in the event that the time for succession comes, we would want someone exactly like President Mugabe. We would want his duplicate and some of the people jostling for the post are least qualified to succeed him.
DN: How best can the problems facing the party be tackled?
VM: The problems facing the party at the moment did not just emanate from nowhere. They were caused by people determined, well sponsored and well advised by those that have been fighting us from time immemorial.
The best way to solve this is to expel, especially those at the leadership of these groups. There are also people who are not even leaders but known for trouble making, they should simply be relieved of their duties as well.
There are people who stood as independent candidates in 2008 and some who have been fighting for the removal of President Mugabe. How can we have such people in the Politburo?
How can that happen if everything is normal. Is it because there are no competent leaders to replace them or someone is pulling them up so that they will assist her to further her agenda?
DN: Can you shed light on war veterans’ alleged links with the Americans?
VM: We are hearing that the funders of the MDC-T just ended congress are the same people funding the Jabulani Sibanda group. The group’s defiance is not the Zanu-PF way of doing things but an American way of resistance.
If the Americans want to win people, they lie to them that they are teaching them or empowering them with rights and these rights will develop defiance.
At one time you must have heard that war veterans were urged to stop participating in politics so that they would get money for empowerment from the Americans.
It is not a secret that during the Youth and Women’s League Conferences Americans poured money to influence members to bring out a result favourable to them. They cannot fail to do the same to the war veterans and the fighters are the Americans’ next port of call.
If the war vets are led by a money monger, the Americans will succeed. How can someone loyal say we are going to march to State House? If Tsvangirai wants to march to the State House, and our own war vets promise to do the same, then it means there are strong serious links. They have become a strong reactionary force.
Tsvangirai called for mass protests and it coincides with the war veterans group planning to do the same our own war vets? What coincidence?
DN: Have War veterans at any time worked with Mavambo? Can you explain the relationship?
VM: War veterans at lower levels no. But war vets at Presidium level yes. It is common knowledge that Mavambo was formed in the house of Vice President Joice Mujuru and she is a war veteran. The party is not distorted by an ordinary card carrying member but those in positions of authority. Mavambo today is working with the likes of Jabu because from him they want support of the war veterans. It is those at the top that Mavambo has been working with.
DN: Did your group write to former South African president Thabo Mbeki for the purposes of removing President Mugabe from power?
VM: That is mid-summer madness because I do not think people that have been in this revolution at one time worked with Mbeki as a fighter, can approach him seeking assistance to oust President Mugabe. Everyone knows Cde Mbeki has been fighting for the restoration of order after the 2008 election. No normal person believes that Mbeki would agree to oust President Mugabe considering the praises that he heaped on President Mugabe.
DN: What are your thoughts on the endorsement of the First Lady to the Zanu-PF’s Women’s League?
VM: This is the best thing that has ever happened in the Zanu-PF calendar and life. Coming into mainstream politics by Dr Mugabe should be applauded by those who know where the revolution came from and what it seeks to achieve. For the addresses she has been doing, she was not the only First Lady to go about advocating support for her husband. Three weeks ago Obama’s wife was in the Middle East promoting Obama’s policies and people did not complain.
In the Bible, Pontius Pilate, was assisted by his wife in decision-making when he did not know what to do when convicting Jesus Christ. It boggles the mind why it becomes a problems in Zimbabwe?
COMMENTS
Iyi imbwa yaMugabe chaiyo, I remember trained dogs when they are told to sit they sit without asking and they are told to bark, they will bark until they are told to stop. So its based on facts kuti iyi iBull terrier yaMugabe.
The War Vets are the ones holding Zimbabwe back. The people do respect their sacrifices but they are not Zimbabwe . Zimbabwe has 12 million people and these are the most important because they must work to provide for themselves first, then the government and then the Vets. The taxes the people pay or have the capacity to pay is what makes the country tick. This Government and the Vets must realise this. YOU NEED THE PEOPLE MORE THAN THEY NEED YOU.
Truth be known these so called ‘war vets’ were a rag tag group of ill disciplined and poorly trained recruits that had one big fear and that was being caught face to face with properly trained Rhodesian troops and would avoid taking them on head on, they preferred the soft targets of innocent women and children in the rural areas and civilian targets such as farmers and ambushing the travelling public.
In a nutshell the Zanupf politicians safely tucked away in Beira sent these poorly trained recruits to their death as they were nothing but cannon fodder, if the so called war vets have not still woken up to the fact that they were used by greedy politicians, they never will!
Zimbabweans only need to understand that if in 2018 they boot out Zanu pf so will they have plucked the feathers of these war vets who, mostly, do not even understand the workings of a country and its economy, hence, where their much lovrd allowances come from. It is not the charters made by their group in the bush that Zimbabweans want running the country, we have had constitutions since then as the country’s guiding principles. Silly organizations will find fault in a slogan enough to sever ties. Do slogans feed a nation? Go to hell war vets!