The Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs has been tasked with submitting an amendment to the Constitution to provide for a quota in the Senate for war veterans by June 30, 2025.
This directive was part of the recommendations from the Report of the Portfolio Committee on Defense, Home Affairs, Security, and War Veterans Affairs, based on a petition from the Children of War Veterans and Heroes Dependents Forum.
The Forum had petitioned Parliament to exercise its constitutional role and address the following issues; Amend the definition of “dependent” in the Act to include dependents who are over 18 years who require fee assistance for higher and tertiary education, Amend the Act to include a provision on respect, honour and recognition of the Veterans of Liberation Struggle, exercise its oversight role in terms of section 119 (2) and ensure that the constitutional rights on benefits of war veterans are upheld, ensure evictions of heroes’ dependents on allocated land are halted and ensure efficient allocation of money for the Liberation Struggle Fund to enable full realisation of the welfare of war veterans and their dependants.
Presenting the report on Tuesday in Parliament, Beitbridge East Constituency MP Albert Nguluvhe stated that the Portfolio Committee found the Act lacking in respect, honour, and recognition of veterans in government and private institutions. He noted that the 20 percent quota for war veterans in redistributed land was not being met, with veterans occupying only 6 percent of the land, and that corrupt Ministry officials were evicting heroes’ dependents from the land.
Nguluvhe said that concerning respect, honour, and recognition, the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs should submit an amendment to the Constitution to provide for a quota in the Senate for war veterans by June 30, 2025.
He also said recommendations were made for the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs to ensure timely funeral assistance, recognition of war veterans at state occasions, and the issuance of identity cards for priority access in government offices by December 31, 2024.
Regarding education assistance for war veteran dependents, the Committee recommended that the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs should harmonise the Veterans of Liberation Struggle Act Chapter 17:12 and Statutory Instrument 281 of 1997 by December 31, 2024.
“The Minister should amend the Statutory Instrument in explicit terms to ensure that dependents over 18 years can continue to access support for higher and tertiary education, regardless of whether such studies commenced when they were below 18,” he said.
Nguluvhe also noted that from the third term of 2024, the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs should ensure timely payment of school fees for children of war veterans.
“The Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs should formally engage tertiary institutions by July 31, 2024, to allow continuous learning for war veterans’ dependents while fees payment is being processed,” he said.
Regarding the 20 percent quota benefit over gazetted land, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Rural Resettlement should adhere to the provisions of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act (Chapter 17:12) in future land allocations.
“The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Rural Resettlement must ensure compensation and provision of alternative land of equal size when repossessing land from war veterans, in terms of Section 21 (3) of the Veterans of Liberation Struggle Act,” said Nguluvhe.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare should review and adjust monthly pensions for war veterans and ex-political prisoners to equivalent to a Warrant Officer Class 1’s salary in the Zimbabwe National Army by July 31, 2024.
“The Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, should establish at least one specialized medical care unit for war victims at provincial hospitals by December 31, 2025,” said Nguluvhe.
