War vets vow to wrestle posts at congress

The resolution was made during a provincial meeting of the ex-freedom fighters also attended by ex-detainees and war collaborators at Gokwe North Growth point over the weekend.

Obert Tshabalala, the war veterans’ provincial political commissar, said youthful leaders who were being catapulted to influential positions of power in Zanu (PF) at the behest of ambitious leaders angling at succeeding President Robert Mugabe, were letting down the general populace. He tore into Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena, describing him as an example of the clueless youthful figures that only rose to senior posts on factional lines.

“War veterans are the vanguard of Zanu (PF). It is us who made the party gain its revolutionary status but for long we have been saying we will just play a supportive role. However, now is the time for us to actually get into the ring and play from inside. Past developments have shown that the party is being destroyed by youthful members seconded by ambitious people angling towards succession.

“So in the coming Zanu (PF) congress, that should be put to an end. We want our members to occupy those posts. War veterans have proved they have the capacity – that is why you see that Joseph Chinotimba is doing far better than Wadyajena both in parliament and in his constituency where great developments have been done,” said Tshabalala.

Wadyajena is sympathetic to Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Tsabalala said Mugabe himself and the late Joshua Nkomo were able to hold Zanu (PF) together due to their war credentials, which made them less ambitious unlike the “so-called young turks” who are more interested in the success of their personal political ambitions.

Speaking at the same meeting, Fanuel Magasa, the provincial secretary for security in the war veterans association, said the war veterans had to stand their ground like they did in 2008 when they “rescued Zanu (PF) from an embarrassing defeat by MDC”.

“I urge you as comrades to guard jealously our country and the party as freedom fighters. No freedom fighter should be found mentioned in the circles of factionalism. We need to bomb it by making our way into the ring at the coming Zanu (PF) congress. Remember we defended the party in 2008 from losing to MDC T, so we don’t want cell phone politicians but freedom fighters like President Mugabe and other late cadres. Freedom fighters should strive to occupy influential posts in the party because they are its vanguard,” he said.

So far only the national war veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda has come out in the open declaring he will contest for the position of national Zanu (PF) chairman at congress. The post is currently held by Simon Khaya Moyo, who is understood to be eying one of the two Vice President posts.