By Patrick Guramatunhu- “War veterans are surviving on US0.48c a day and nothing has been done yet everyone and everybody who could be driving a Mercedes Benz, living in a nice house and things like that; it came from the war veterans,” complained Douglas Mahiya, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association.

“But when we speak or ask about our welfare, we are told there is no money.”

Yes, Comrade Mahiya there are some Zimbabweans out there who are driving posh cars, live in palatial mansions and are filth rich. What you have clearly failed to grasp is that these are the filthy rich ruling elite whose insatiable greed for political power and wealth has destroyed the country’s economy making themselves power and filthy rich at the expense of the overwhelming majority whom they, the ruling, denied the freedoms and rights and forced into a life of abject poverty.

Whilst you, Mahiya, and the overwhelming majority of your follow war veterans live in abject poverty too, same as the povo; there our roads part ways. Whilst the ordinary Zimbabweans have been fighting for the restoration of all Zimbabweans’ basic freedoms and rights; you and your rogue war veterans (there are many who have remained faithful to the liberation war values of freedom to all and not just the powerful few) have actively supported the oppressive and corrupt Zanu PF ruling elite.

It is important to note that unlike the colonial regime that generated wealth and our quarrel with the whites was that the wealth must be shared fairly; with this Zanu PF regime, our immediate task is dismantle the dictatorship and stop the criminal waste of resources through corrupt and mismanagement. You lot want to keep the dictatorship as long as you get a share of the looted wealth. You do not even have the common sense to see that the country’s economy has been shrinking!

Most Zimbabweans have long realised that the root cause of the country’s economic problems is the corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF rule and they have also realised that they can never remove the party from office as long as it retains its dictatorial power to rig elections. And hence the reason they have called for democratic changes since the late 1990s. It is a great disappointment that these economic and political realities have remained a mystery with the war veterans.

Indeed, Robert Mugabe and the rest of the Zanu PF leadership have continued to exploit the war veterans’ political naivety, using them as the party’s foot-soldiers in harassing, intimidating, beating, raping and even murdering people for selfish political gain. This is all contrary to the values and principles for which they, the war veterans, and the nation at large fought, and many died, for!

How you, Mahiya, and your fellow rogue war veterans have remained, even today with all the benefit of hindsight, shallow, thick and slow is a matter of the deepest regret and national shame! Of course, the nation is ashamed that the generation that liberated the nation from white colonial oppression has itself become the new oppressors and so the nation is once again having to fight for the same freedoms and rights.

“The war veterans again are advocating for a Ministry that will look after their own affairs because we don’t understand why it is not happening when the President has already agreed to it,” continued Mahiya.

“So why can’t we have our own Minister who probably will look at issues that affect war veterans.”

So you think if there was an autonomous government ministry for war veterans; all war veterans will all be driving posh cars; live in Blue Roof type mansions; since the country’s health care has all but collapsed, fly each and everyone of you to China or Singapore for your health care needs; etc. I am speechless! How is it possible that anyone can be this shallow!!!!