ZIPRA war veterans have protested over “exclusion” from the War Veterans Board.
They have also accused War Veterans Board chairperson Retired General Gibson Mashingaidze of doubling up as the board chairperson and Zanu PF war veterans’ league chairperson for Masvingo province.
They feel there is conflict of interest, arguing that Mashingaidze cannot hold the two positions.
Zipra War Veterans Association spokesperson Buster Magwizi said: “We would like to find our position with regards to the question of conflict of interest, and the structure of the war veterans. Recently the chairperson of the War Veterans Board was elected as the chairperson of Zanu PF war veterans’ league in Harare. The war veterans were then subjected to clear conflict of interest issues over Mashingaidze.”
Magwizi said the war veterans’ league was under Zanu PF, a political party that probably did not represent the interests and aspirations of all war veterans of the liberation struggle.
“To a greater extent, this has affected the flow of information between the veterans at grassroots, and the leadership at the top. I say this because most of the veterans who are not members of Zanu PF have lost representation in the chairmanship of the veterans of the liberation struggle under Zanu PF.”
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Magwizi said Zipra war veterans felt that only Zanu PF-affiliated war veterans were represented in the war veterans’ league.
Mashingaidze, however, denied the allegations.
“I am not doubling; I was appointed by the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) to the board. The war veterans’ league represents the ex-combatants only; whereas the board represents all war veterans,’’ he said.