The Zimbabwe Liberation Platform, ZLP, a liberal organisation that claims to be a progressive section of former independence war fighters championing democracy and social equality told The Zimbabwean that war veterans needed to regain their independence to avoid being manipulated by selfish politicians.
Chairman of ZLP, Maxwell Mkandla said his organisation will demand radical changes to the War Veterans Act and call for the scrapping of all constitutional provisions that give ex-combatants preferential treatment ahead of every other Zimbabwean.
The War Veterans Act provides for a monthly pension for life, free education for the former fighters children and for 20 percent of land acquired by the government to be reserved for ex-combatants among other benefits.
We now have a situation where some of those who participated in the armed struggle are holding the nation to ransom with endless financial and other demands as if they are a special breed of Zimbabweans. Mkandla said.
He said there were also people who think they should be rewarded financially because they were either detained by the colonial regime or because they performed errands on behalf of the fighters during the war.
That has to come to an end if we are to progress as a nation and the new constitution should guarantee that, Mkandla said.
Mkandla said patriotic Zimbabweans should abandon the mercenary mentality of demanding monetary compensation for taking part in liberating themselves.
If we have to compensate people for their role in bringing about national independence, then every Zimbabwean over the age of 30 deserves it particularly villagers who bore the brunt of the war, fed and clothed the fighters, he said.
Post published in: Politics