The newly formed Children of ZPRA/ZAPU (COZZ), Tuesday, donated food parcels to 50 families of ZAPU and ZPRA veterans.
COZZ is an independent global union of offspring and descendants of ZPRA and ZAPU veteran elders.
Its main aim is to organise the welfare of the sick and destitute amongst them and also to appreciate of their gallantry while they are still alive.
To that end, COZZ launched a ZPRA and ZAPU Elders Christmas Cheer Fund to help the elderly, sick, and destitute PF- ZPRA/ZAPU veterans this festive season.
Most of the members are based in the diaspora although plans are afoot to grow the organisation by recruiting more members locally.
The food hamper campaign was in partnership with the Dumiso Dabengwa Foundation and the ZPRA Veterans Trust and was endorsed by the Mafela Trust.
Accepting the donation on behalf of ZPRA veterans, Miclot Ncube, appreciated the gesture from COZZ.
“On behalf of the ZPRA veterans trust, we would to thanks the Children of ZPRA/ZAPU for this very wonderful gift they have given to us in recognition of our contribution towards the liberation of Zimbabwe,” said Ncube.
Speaking at the same event, Mafela Tust director Zephaniah Nkomo said there was need to document the ZPRA`s heritage for the benefit of future generations.
“Unfortunately, this government and the previous ones, have never considered seriously what heritage is all about. We are happy that our children have realised the importance of preserving our history. Those of us who are still alive, let us compile the records and archives of this liberation movement that brought about the independence and freedom of this country, though the independence and freedom is not yet realised,” said Nkomo.
ZPRA veterans trust chairman Lwazi Tsheza said there was need to grow the membership of COZZ locally so that they also contribute to the vision.
“ZPRA is a very big institution with over 15 000 members who are still alive spread out all over the world. I’m sure you can look at that way and expand,” he said.
COZZ representative at the handover ceremony, Felix Silundika, son of the late national hero George Silundika, said it was a noble idea to grow the organisation locally but expressed concern that its vision may be miscontrued by the powers that be.
“We live in a politically charged country where some people might misconstrue the objectives of our coming together and then thereby start to undermine or start to take over these efforts
“It has to be done properly, with proper vetting because you may never know what people`s intentions are. Even though this idea was born out of a noble principles, along the way it is easy for it to be misconstrued. People always feel uncomfortable when you mention the word ZAPU or ZPRA and then they want to see if there is anything that threatens certain establishments and would probably want to thwart these efforts,” he said.
