Mash war vets lambaste Mugabe
By Worried War Vets: Mash West and East
This an open letter to His Excellency Cde R G Mugabe to show our disgruntlement as the Liberation War Freedom Fighters of Zimbabwe in regard to just a few of your shortcomings concerning our welfare as the ZNA Reserve Force of Zimbabwe.
We have observed that you forcefully placed us under the command of your office and of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander, General Chiwenga, in order to silence us – wilfully knowing that you have let us down on many occasions.
For example, there was your evil Clean up campaign, code named operation Murambatsvina, which spared no-one, including us the Zimbabwe Liberation War Vet Association members and Zanu (PF) supporters countrywide.
How do you think we are going to build our houses when you are aware that you are only giving us a paltry Z$5m per month as salary, no bonuses, no increments? How many bags of cement and bricks do you think we can afford to buy in this economy? And what about our monthly rental since most of us are lodgers and destitutes?
Why is it that the detainees are getting better treatment than us who were disadvantaged while in the bush? We had no visitors, no shelter, no clothes or education. And there is a lot of paper work needed when applying for funds, yet you know that we are not all educated because of war?
We don’t want you to impose candidates who should lead the freedom fighters in this country. We would like to express our displeasure at the imposition of Dumiso Dabengwa and retired General Mujuru. The only exception is the retired Army General Zvinavashe, with whom we feel comfortable since he is a man of principle and has War Vets at heart.
We have also noted with great concern the level of promotion of War Vets in the army, where most ranks are only from lance corporal to colour sergeant and in the police where most of us are sergeants, with just a few connected to the highest table?
Stop politicising national events because we did not fight to liberate Zanu (PF) only but the whole nation and the emerging political parties of Zimbabwe.
We demand that all political parties are allowed to lay flowers on the tomb of the unknown soldier on all Heroes commemoration days, since its their right to pay respect to daughters and sons who died for this country during the war.
Please help me get educated
By S. Hassim
I am a form 4 student currently attending a private school in Zimbabwe. In first term 2006 my school fees, which include boarding, cost Z$90m. The school fees for second term 2006 will cost my parents Z$239m. On top of this, they have to buy my own food as the school is unable to provide for my special diet. My parents struggle to scrape together enough money to pay my school fees.
1. What do they do for a living? My parents own two shops.
2. So then what is the problem? The problem is it is very expensive to buy goods for the shop as suppliers demand cash upfront and the goods can’t be sold anyway as nobody can afford them.
3. Then why don’t I move to an affordable government school? First of all the facilities in government schools are not up to scratch for the medical career I want to follow. The laboratories are not well equipped, even though the teacher might be excellent. It is also extremely difficult to get textbooks and chemicals are very expensive. If my private school cannot afford new textbooks how will government schools manage? Secondly there is racism, and not only about your skin colour (which has already occurred at my private school) but about the school you have attended before. Thirdly if I do go to a government school, what are my prospects of getting to the top universities?
4. So what am I trying to say? I sit at home now that it is the holidays and worry myself sick about where I will attend lower VI, as my parents have made it clear that they cannot afford my fees. According to my latest report I have excellent prospects. I have also achieved first place in Geography, Chemistry, Biology, English Language and Literature. For the other subjects I have attained either second or third place.
I have been trying to get information about scholarships out of the country but because I am a Zimbabwean student it has been impossible. As long as you are from Zimbabwe it is near impossible to get into other countries. Won’t you spare a thought for us whose future look bleak but whose brains are bright? You never know. I might be the person who discovers a cure for AIDS!
If you have any information concerning scholarships available to A Level Students, please let me know.
Post published in: News