Zanu PF Secretary for War Veterans Douglas Mahiya says war veterans must be elevated to higher positions both in Zanu PF and in the government as they have proven their loyalty to the country.
Mahiya’s sentiments come after Zanu PF Bulawayo provincial elections were declared null and void with the party claiming the calibre of party members that were nominated into leadership positions were below standard.
Zanu PF then proceeded to dissolve the party structures in Bulawayo and Harare pending a restructuring exercise.
In the first round of Bulawayo elections, war veterans such as Cephas Ncube and Rejoice Ndlovu were elected chairpersons of the main wing and women’s league respectively.
Ncube is also Chairperson of the war veterans in Bulawayo province.
In an interview with CITE, Mahiya said the former freedom fighters had a right to be in leadership positions because they knew how to serve.
“Up until the politburo has given a go ahead that elections in these two provinces must now proceed then the Bulawayo election will also proceed. But in our own perspectives as war veterans something had already been done. There should be no going back they should start where they ended, unless if the people have ultra-motives of not allowing war veterans to be in those influential positions,” he noted.
Mahiya said denying war veterans the right to serve was a contradiction of a commitment made before the coming in of the “new dispensation” that former freedom fighters be elevated to higher positions both in the ruling party and in the government.
“So it is happening, it should be allowed to happen. Anybody who probably thinks otherwise, to me is doing a disservice to the party in that war veterans are the only tried and tested cadres of the party – Zanu PF. There’s no way a war vet sound would want to serve in any other party that is not revolutionary,” noted the politburo member.
Mahiya added that the difference between other political parties and Zanu PF was that the ruling party had achieved political independence and would proceed to liberate the country economically
“That should be the focal point of every Zimbabwean regardless of political inclination, in actual fact, political inclinations other than what Zanu PF is offering should provide tangible alternatives or methodologies to achieve economic emancipation for the people of Zimbabwe, to say then we can put food on their table. Fine, any other is not politics.
“There’s no reason why opposition political parties may want to go out there and fight for political power and yet the black Zimbabwean has the political power. Let’s utilise the political power that is there instead for the benefit of the people, rather than fighting you, my own brother for being on the throne,” Mahiya said.
He added that the direction he was giving war veterans in Bulawayo was to remind them, “they are forever custodians of the Zimbabwean revolution and upon them Zanu PF will continue building themselves.”
