Ex-Zipra combatants have accused Zanu PF of using them to oust former president Robert Mugabe from power in November last year.
The erstwhile long time ruler, was deposed through a well-coordinated succession plan orchestrated by the military and a section of the ruling party including veterans of the country`s liberation struggle.
Mugabe was replaced by his long-time assistant Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Speaking to the media in Bulawayo on Thursday, secretary for information and Publicity, Buster Magwizi claimed the initial agreement made was to dismantle Mugabe`s hold on power and make way for a Government of National Unity.
“We were under the impression we would remove the ZANU system and start all over, with a new government of national unity consisting of all parties but they had planned to personalise the whole thing the whole time,” said Magwizi.
“It only dawned on us on November 17 last year when the ZANU people started to chant “chinhu chedu”. It was then that we realised we had lent a helping hand top remove Mugabe instead of ZANU-PF,” he said.
He added: “Had we been aware of their motive we would have never bothered to associate ourselves as it would have served no purpose to us.”
Magwizi lamented the manner in which they were neglected after the liberation war and being deprived of an opportunity to be property rehabilitated back into society.
“After the war, there was a rehabilitation program that we were supposed to go through to help us get over the war traumas. These were disarmament, demobilisation and re-intergration,” he said.
“These were necessary counselling sessions that were to help us to adjust to normal life and reconcile with our families. Some people went to war against their family will and till now they haven’t been reconciled with their families, the government was supposed to intervene in such issues.”
Magwizi lamented lack of funds by their organisation which has hindered them from documenting the correct historical events.
“History being taught in schools is distorted. We need to document but our major challenge is finance. Liberation fighters lost way more than the whites during the land grab but nothing on that was documented.” he said.
“We cannot be deliberately left out on national issues and events. We fought the war, we still exist today and we can never be wished away so the government has to recognise us,” said Magwizi.
