By Political Reporter-War veterans, once the backbone of Zanu PF’s political machinery, face a bleak festive season as government neglect and financial crises plunge their welfare into turmoil.
Since September 2024, the Treasury has failed to meet its obligations to war veterans, leaving them without critical payouts, unpaid medical bills, and insufficient educational support for their children.
The Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs, responsible for their welfare, has admitted it is in a financial bind.
Albert Nguluvhe, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs, Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, and Security, detailed the dire situation in a recent 2025 post-budget analysis report.
“The Ministry owes ZWG10.25 million to medical providers, with unpaid surgeries totalling ZWG6.52 million. Annual costs for dialysis and chemotherapy are ZWG11.18 million and ZWG3.03 million, respectively,”
Nguluvhe disclosed that the allocated ZWG121.84 million healthcare budget for 2025 is a mere 40% of the ZWG312.83 million required.
This shortfall is expected to leave veterans without vital healthcare services by May 2025.
The education of veterans’ children is similarly underfunded, with ZWG137.22 million allocated for 2025, far below the ideal ZWG315.25 million.
Much of this allocation will cover 2024 arrears, leaving only ZWG26.26 million for the new year—insufficient to cover even a single school term.
“The Ministry needs an additional ZWG218.78 million to adequately support 6,395 students. Current funding levels only worsen the crisis,” Nguluvhe added.
The gap between rhetoric and reality has sparked outrage among war veterans.
Petros Sibanda, Secretary General of the ZPRA Veterans Association, decried the neglect, calling on the Treasury to reprioritise its expenditures.
“Many veterans remain unpaid, including those vetted as far back as 2022. The government must address this injustice urgently,” Sibanda said.
The neglect of war veterans underscores a glaring contradiction in Zanu PF’s strategy.
For decades, veterans have been instrumental in the party’s election tactics, often deployed to intimidate opposition supporters and consolidate rural votes.
However, their growing discontent now threatens to fracture this alliance.
“Veterans sacrificed their youth for Zimbabwe’s liberation. It is a travesty that they are now treated with such disregard,” Sibanda concluded.