Real empowerment means financial independence, not State handouts

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s recent unveiling of a US$500 000 cash payout to war veterans, under the guise of the War Veterans Empowerment Fund, has ignited widespread debate and scepticism.

While the initiative is framed as a noble effort to uplift those who contributed to Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle, it raises important questions about the nature of economic empowerment and the sincerity of government programmes supposedly meant to improve people’s lives.

Is this truly empowerment or is it political patronage repackaged as generosity?

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