THE Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) yesterday rallied behind the army and called for President Robert Mugabe’s immediate recall from Zanu PF, describing him as a huge liability to the ruling party.

BY RICHARD CHIDZA

ZNLWVA secretary-general Victor Matemadanda told journalists in Harare that the Zanu PF central committee should set up an independent commission to investigate Mugabe for unspecified crimes.

“The central committee must immediately establish a commission of inquiry into Robert Mugabe to determine why he decided to join and work with anti-revolutionary elements, and why he has chosen either to expel or to ignore those that fought with and defended him during and after the war,” Matemadanda said.

“They should find out why along with his wife (First Lady Grace) they have decided to denigrate war veterans and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces; why he chose to have friends only associated with the Rhodesian regime; why he chose to associate with (Higher Education minister) Jonathan Moyo knowing that he is a CIA agent; and why he chose to ignore Vice-President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa’s response to Moyo’s allegations.

“We urge that Mugabe be recalled from his position as president of Zanu PF. This is not the first time we are doing this. We did this to (the late Zanu founding leader) Ndabaningi Sithole who had lesser crimes. We want to make it clear that Mugabe has committed much worse crimes than Sithole”.

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The war veterans said the army’s intervention was “long overdue”.

“The efforts that you are seeing are aimed at restoring constitutionalism, law and order and humanism. The Constitution that was written by the people of Zimbabwe has a section which empowers the Defence Forces to take appropriate action to defend national security, sovereignty and human life,” he said.

“What Zimbabwe has been sliding into is a state of chaos. War veterans stand with the Zimbabwe Defence Forces save for those who have allowed themselves to be used by the G40 cabal. The police have been harassing people and agreeing to be abused by the G40 cabal and it is time they reform,” the war vets chief said.

Matemadanda said Zanu PF must return to constitutionalism and reverse all expulsions of “progressive people” by party national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere. The war veterans said a session of the Zanu PF central committee “as it stood a day after the December 2014 congress” must convene and rubberstamp the demands.

Matemadanda said Zanu PF wings and all other political formations in the country “must accept” the move by the military and efforts to return the country to “normalcy”. ZNLWVA spokesperson Douglas Mahiya described the military intervention as a victory for Zimbabwe.