War veterans have warned the MDC led Bulawayo council that they will not hesitate to intervene if the plot to unseat the Town Clerk Christopher Dube, a liberation fighter, continues.
Last month, a faction of councillors fronted by the deputy mayor, Tinashe Kambarami attempted to suspend the town clerk over alleged corrupt activities within the council.
During the attempt to eject him from his office, the town clerk defiantly remarked that “I fought for this country,” and would not yield to demands from the youthful Kambarami who had served him with a suspension letter.
“Let me tell you, the city council is merely playing a game that I believe cannot be sustainable. I am running away from saying it is a dangerous game in that the town clerk in his own right, is a war veteran, who before he became town clerk, gave his life to the people,” said Douglas Mahiya, spokesperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) in an interview on the sidelines of meeting held with war veterans in Entumbane Tuesday.
Mahiya said the Town Clerk deserved respect for his role in the liberation struggle.
“He’s the son of God, he’s not different from what God did. Zimbabweans wanted their land and they sent him – the town clerk and he came with it. He’s the most sane person in that council and they (councillors) must actually receive direction from him regardless of the fact that he’s an executive and others are policymakers. He knows what they are doing and what they should say but he plays a different role altogether,” he noted.
The war veterans’ spokesperson claimed they were observing the city council and how it conducted itself after that debacle.
“We are watching and I am sorry (to say) should we find an opportunity we will visit the council and tell them in no uncertain terms, never ever, to do that. Never ever do that to him,” he said.
Mahiya, a Zanu PF politburo said as war veterans they had not yet engaged the council as they wanted to see how the opposition MDC would tackle the matter.
“No we’ve not done that (engagement) remember the Bulawayo council is MDC dominated, we wanted to give them a chance to show themselves, their capabilities and their expertise in terms with dealing with politics,” he noted.
Mahiya said the way the councillors handled internal council matters was inappropriate.
“But to us, they have shown that they are kids in how they should have handled the matter, even if the town clerk had erred. Even if the town clerk was supposed to be fired, it is the duty of the central government to do so. The town clerk is not employed by council per se, as the council is just an authority responsible for local development and governance,” said the war veteran.
The politburo member also said the Nelson Chamisa led MDC, must learn more about principles.
“Let’s stick to the principle that governs a worker and the one that governs a politician. The two are different things and if the MDC does not understand these they still need to go to a political school. We have the Chitepo Ideological school, we can invite them,” Mahiya said.
The MDC has since instituted its own investigations, with Chamisa saying if any councillor was found guilty they would be dismissed.
Mahiya was in Bulawayo to discuss the welfare with war veterans and give direction to them as the custodians of the country.
He said war veterans had to participate in the national economic development of the country because they understand the meaning of that concept, as they were driven by such to partake in the liberation struggle.
“I’m here to encourage and give direction to war vets. No one can speak louder and better for peace as war vets are the founders of peace and abide by principles of the revolution we fought for,” Mahiya highlighted.
