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President Mugabe

Felex Share Senior Reporter—
Zanu-PF affiliates have endorsed President Mugabe as the revolutionary party’s sole candidate for the 2018 harmonised elections. The organisations — which met the President on Saturday in Harare and made the declaration — included war collaborators, ex-detainees, ex-restrictees, widows of fallen heroes, non-combatant cadres and war victims. This comes as Zanu-PF provinces held provincial inter-district meetings over the weekend and resolved that President Mugabe leads the revolutionary party in the 2018 polls.

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During their meeting with President Mugabe, various thematic committees presented resolutions on party ideology, threats to the party, war veterans’ statutory benefits, economic empowerment and the liberation war heritage.

On economic empowerment, the liberation war fighters urged the Government to deal decisively with corrupt public officials. This, the organisations concluded, was the only way Zimbabwe would achieve the much-anticipated economic turnaround.

“Action should be taken to curb corruption at all levels as this is the biggest threat to national development,” read the resolutions. “Without bringing an end to corrupt tendencies, the country will never reach the intended heights with regards to development. Those involved should be tried and cases should be tried at the courts so that the party’s name is cleared.”

The call to deal with corruption comes after some ministers have been fingered in corrupt activities, with the latest being Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo who stands accused of siphoning $430 000 from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef).

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) alleges that Prof Moyo, together with his deputy Dr Godfrey Gandawa, siphoned the money through shelf companies owned by the latter.

On the other hand, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has been fingered in dodgy land deals and is under investigation from ZACC.

The economic empowerment resolutions went on: “As a way of empowerment, Government should also provide agricultural and residential land to war veterans as the majority of them have not benefited from such schemes. “Government should also support animal husbandry and small grain farming for war veterans in the Matabeleland areas.

“War veterans should automatically have 99-year land leases allocated to them in recognition for their efforts in the liberation struggle. War veterans must be involved in urban residential stands schemes, the same way the youth are benefiting from the scheme.”

On statutory benefits, the affiliate organisations resolved that: “There is need for a comprehensive full cover health package accessible to all medical institutions, which will cater of all war veterans as well as a cover that will afford them a decent burial when they die. A quarter of that should be set aside under Government scholarships to improve the education of the children of war veterans. Treasury should avail school tuition funds for war veterans’ children on time.”

On liberation war heritage, the freedom fighters said there was need for accurate documentation of veterans of the liberation struggle, which could only be achieved through vetting.

“There is need for appeasement and recognition of the spirits of Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi and King Lobengula for their role in the liberation struggle. Their graves or the last places they were seen should have shrines erected,” reads the resolutions.

On party ideology and threats to the party, the war veterans called for complete overhaul of the Zanu-PF Commissariat led by Cde Kasukuwere. They said the commissariat department should be led by a cadre with liberation war credentials and strong appreciation of Zanu-PF’s guiding ideology adding that the Cde Kasukuwere was a specialist in sowing seeds of divisions.

“The national commissariat department should be side by side with war veterans as the current national commissar is failing to execute the job well,” reads the resolutions. “Members should be given fair trials and they should be able to defend themselves before a panel of judges before being expelled from the party. There is need for appropriate channels in disciplining cadres who would have erred.”

President Mugabe said Government was working on ways of improving the welfare of war veterans and others who contributed to the Second Chimurenga and a cocktail of measures were in the pipeline. He also pledged to meet the Widows of Fallen Heroes this week to discuss their welfare and other issues.