President Robert Mugabe has enjoyed the largess of being patron of the ZNLWVA, a priviledge he is about lose as the former fighters dig in, turn their backs on him, and hammer the last nail to his political coffin.
Mugabe has over the years enjoyed the unquestioned support of the former freedom fighters, until recently when they decided to enter the murky succession Zanu PF waters, in a communique, telling him to step down and endorsing his deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mugabe retaliated and through his wife Grace’s running dogs, partisan police, attacked the former fighters in all manner, their leadership was arrested, with calls for fresh elections to do away with the former loyal fighters.
The tables have turned, according to the association’s spokesperson Douglas Mahiya, the former freedom fighters are now looking for financiers to begin the process that could officially end Mugabe’s relationship with his wartime comrades.
“The ZNLWVA met on Thursday and decided to go back to basics. By this we mean going back to the people to explain the country’s political, social and economic situation. We want to meet our members as well as Zimbabweans in general to explain our position going forward,” Mahiya said.
War veterans have been clear they now want Mugabe to step down as Zanu PF leader and pave way for Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa. But a faction of the ruling party called G40 is viciously opposed to Mnangagwa’s ascendency to the throne.
Reports abound that the group is pushing hard to force Mugabe to turn the ruling party’s annual conference set for Masvingo in December into an elective congress where Mnangagwa could be pushed over the cliff.
Mahiya said while the former freedom fighters are struggling with finding the money required to fund their activities they would want to begin consultations next month.
“Our plan is that once we are done with the nationwide consultations with our membership and the populace, we would want to convene a national conference for all civic organisations across the board to seek solutions to the problems our country is faced with,” Mahiya said.
“Zimbabweans deserve true freedom, that which they fought for. The freedom they sacrificed everything they had is yet to come and we have a duty to begin a process of reclaiming that. Discussions must now begin”.
Mugabe’s relationship with the former freedom fighters has hit an all-time low beginning with an emotive meeting early this year where the ruling party’s politburo was accused by the war veterans of usurping the powers of the central committee.
However, the situation boiled over following the release of a damning communiqué by the war veterans that urged Mugabe to resign accusing him of dictatorship.
Mugabe reacted angrily and rounded up senior ZNLWVA leaders and locked them up for “insulting” him. Five of them are now on bail awaiting trial on allegations associated with the writing of the communiqué.
3 Replies to “Mugabe To Lose War Vets Patron Position”
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Duzununu remunhu
You’re mental case Mr. Shona!!!!!. You’re beyond redemption.
Voetsek Shona Gukurahundis. Voetsek; what war veterans. Chicken meat Shona war veterans for sure!!