The ZPRA veterans have bemoaned their fragmented approach which it said has cost them dearly in their fight to recover dozens of properties which were confiscated by the government soon after independence.
Speaking after the ZPRA Veterans annual general meeting which was held at Stanely Hall on Saturday, Nitram Investment chair John Gazi said lack of a united approach and failure to speak with one voice on the matter has been their biggest undoing.
For instance, Gazi cited a recent lawsuit in which business mogul Tagwirei was taken to court over the properties, a development that the former liberators described as ill-advised and unnecessary.
“We have a recent case in Harare where some individuals took Tagwirei to court over the properties in Harare, but I as the chair of Nitram, tell those guys not to do such things because they didn’t consult anyone. They did the wrong thing as far as we are concerned. Because when we engage we want Caveat 15 of 82 lifted by the president then we take it from there,” Gazi said.
He indicated that at the meeting they resolved to bring all the cadres to order for progress’ sake.
“We came up with a number of resolutions, but one of the most crucial ones was that we must call an urgent meeting to bring to book the Johny come late who are going around saying we have taken so and so to court over the properties. These people are doing it piecemeal which is not the proper way.”
The properties were confiscated by the government under the Unlawful Organisation Act in 1982 (Caveat No. 15 of 82) and transferred to the President of Zimbabwe in January 1987 (under Caveat No. 56 of 87).
Since then, the former liberators have been pushing hard to recover what belongs to them.
“We resolved that every process should be done and channelled through the ZPRA properties committee. While we agree that these are genuine ZPRA cadres our point is that they will not have been tasked to do so by the mother organisation which creates confusion.
“This has resulted in the government finding an excuse in holding on to our properties. So, we have to go back to the drawing board and bring order to our many Zpra comrades. We have such organisations like Maqhawe Trust, ZPRA Trust, ZPRA Veterans Association among others all pushing one cause, so we are saying comrades let us stay focused, let us consult and agree on the best way,” he said.
In 2019, the ZPRA veterans met Mnangagwa at State House, a first big step in pushing for the restoration of their properties.
In the demands that were presented to Mnangagwa then, Zpra is claiming back 12 holding companies under which there are dozens of companies and farms.
Some of the properties include Magnet House which houses the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) offices in Bulawayo, Kudu Motors, Hampton Farm, Ascot Farm, Nest-egg farm, Woodyglen Farm, Mbalabala Garage, Nyamandlovu Farm, Snake Park and Salisbury Motel in Harare among others.
Meanwhile, Gazi questioned why Mnangagwa has largely sidelined former ZPRA and ZAPU cadres in his new government.
“Some people are not very comfortable with the ZPRA and ZAPU. I will say this because we have questioned why they give prominence to POLAD and ignore Zapu, it doesn’t make sense. If at all we are going to fall on the Unity Accord and the new dispensation, we should have seen more engagements with Zapu than these other parties.
“Some of these are not even parties but are individuals who just registered to run for the presidency. Whereas the original liberation movement was Zapu before Zanu itself was formed. It’s high time our leaders recognise Zapu as part of the liberation struggle,” he said.
