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Ambassador Chris Mutsvangwa

The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) needs a strong leader, who has superior intellect and depth, strong and unquestionable liberation credentials.War veterans fought for this country. They are a respected institution for what they did during the liberation struggle and what they have been doing post-independence. They deserve a mature leader who is not excitable, they deserve a thinking leadership, not so-called moderates who have no qualms snuggling with reactionaries that they fought and defeated during the liberation struggle.

Jabulani Sibanda, who was expelled from Zanu-PF last week for his scandalous insult on President Mugabe and the First Lady, Cde Grace Mugabe, and his threat to mobilise war veterans to march on State House; and consequently sacked from his position as leader of the ZNLWVA, an affiliate to the ruling party, had none of the above qualities. Essentially, he was a high-sounding nothing.

He allowed himself to be used by over-ambitious elements in Zanu-PF who sought to unseat the President through undemocratic means only a few months after winning elections. Perhaps, it was because Sibanda lacked these critical qualities that he found himself out of depth and in the back pocket of schemers.

In Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa, war veterans have found themselves a leader with the gravitas to take their organisation forward.
He is educated and knowledgeable, successful in business, knows the struggle and contemporary politics and economics. He is a polished diplomat who has served the country with distinction. He is the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is fearless, principled and forthright.

Cde Mutsvangwa should give war veterans the smart leadership they deserve.

War veterans saw a leader in him to take them forward.

He has a lot of work to do, we must say, to redeem the important institution from the dust where Sibanda put it.

One key area that we expect Cde Mutsvangwa to work on is giving war veterans a clear direction and organisational shape. During Sibanda’s lost reign, it was not possible to see who else was there apart from him, it was impossible to see where he operated from, whether he worked from an office or from the street.

With Cde Mutsvangwa in, we know he would put in place a discernable operational base and secretariat to run the affairs of war veterans in a more professional, transparent and orderly manner.  So in short we expect order in the ZNLWVA; some polish.

“As war veterans we are the bulwark that is supposed to protect the Office of the President,” said Zimbabwe Defence Forces Inspector General, Major-General Engelbert Rugeje in Masvingo on Saturday, shortly after Cde Mutsvangwa was nominated unopposed to chair the ZNLWVA.

“If we fail to protect the integrity of the Office of the President that will be tantamount to treason.  We should never again allow leaders like Cde Sibanda to be at the helm of the war veterans’ association.  A war veterans’ leader should be a straightforward person without a chequered history.”

Cde Mutsvangwa is himself articulate. He knows what he wants to say and how to do it. He would be able to articulate the aspirations and programmes of war veterans far much better than the hotchpotch Sibanda served for 11 years.

Liberators have struggled in their efforts to have issues of their welfare adequately addressed. Indeed the government already knows what it must do for war veterans, but an ordered and well expressed push would have done miracles.

War veterans want their allowances to be improved, and paid more predictably. Their children have to go to school and college on government account. They need properly structured empowerment projects, not only small poultry and rabbitry ones but bigger businesses with extensive impact. They can invest as individuals and also as consortia. Leaders like Sibanda don’t have the depth to conceptualise and operationalise such fundamental issues, but Cde Mutsvangwa should find it easy work.

Other new ZNLWVA national executive members are Cde Mutsvangwa’s deputy Cde Headman Moyo (Matabeleland North), secretary general Cde Victor Matemadanda (Midlands), treasurer general Cde Robert Ncube (Bulawayo), political commissar Cde Francis Nando (Masvingo) and secretary for security Cde Malaki Mpofu (Matabeleland South).

Cde Mandi Chimene (Manicaland) was elected secretary for information and publicity, secretary for transport and welfare Charles Mpofu (Harare), secretary for legal affairs Chief Chivese (Mashonaland East) and secretary for women affairs Cde Esther Munyaradzi.

Relations between war veterans and the outside world should be improved with a new leadership in place. Cde Mutsvangwa can operate at multiple levels — he can be in a rural area engaging with the poor and can engage meaningfully with business at the top end.

We congratulate war veterans for electing Cde Mutsvangwa to lead them. Zimbabwe trusts him; Zanu-PF trusts him. Zimbabwe has faith in his ability.