A FACTION of war veterans aligned to Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandiitawepu Chimene has remained defiant and vowed to continue with its preparations for an elective congress for the former fighters, saying War Veterans’ minister Tshinga Dube had no mandate over issues concerning the running of the association.
BY KENNETH NYANGANI
The group’s interim spokesperson, George Mlala, made the remarks in Mutare last Friday where the splinter Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) elected an interim Manicaland executive led by Robert Gumbo. Mlala said they were fast-tracking the provincial elections ahead of their planned congress, whose date and venue were yet to be disclosed.
‘’I heard that next week there is a meeting between war veterans and their provincial chairman. The meeting has been called by the minister (Dube). This is not the duty of the minister, I want the Press to put this clear for us,’’ he said.
‘’When we held our meeting in solidarity with our President Robert Mugabe on July 27 this year, the President in his own speech said that we should organise ourselves, and we are not working with those who have turned against the party. He (Mugabe) said that we should have our interim executive,’’ Mlala said.
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“He did not say that the minister go and arrange for elections. If I am lying, the President should just come to me and say I am lying. Then you heard someone saying (ZNLWVA chairperson Christopher) Mutsvangwa, there is no war veteran who is outside Zanu PF,’’ he said
This came after the minister launched a sustained attack on Mlala and Chimene for plotting a hostile take-over of the ZNLWVA leadership. The matter has already spilled into the courts.
Mlala also said he did not know why they were called a small faction “clique’’ of war veterans.
‘’You will see what the press write (tomorrow) they will write that a small faction of war veterans, a clique of war veterans, we don’t know why, well they are doing their job,’’ Mlala said.