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Nduduzo Tshuma Political Editor
ZIMBABWE National Liberation War Veterans Association chairman Cde Chris Mutsvangwa yesterday condemned Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa for maligning Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko upon his appointment as Vice President.

VP Mphoko was appointed last December along with Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa after the 6th Zanu-PF National People’s Congress.

Dabengwa, after the appointments, tried to deride VP Mphoko accusing him of selling out during the liberation war and hiding that he once served under the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

Addressing war veterans at separate meetings in Lupane and Bulawayo yesterday, Cde Mutsvangwa who is also Minister of Welfare Services for the War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees, said Dabengwa was a respectable liberation icon who should also give respect to other heroes.

“In the last two months when Vice Presidents were appointed, we saw emerging divisions within respected comrades. I used to have debates on politics you all know with members of other parties including Dabengwa,” said Cde Mutsvangwa.

“I denounced everyone until the moderator turned to Dabengwa who spoke ill of the party. I stood up and said I wouldn’t respond to Dumiso, I respect him as my commander in the war. I will call and talk to him just the two of us and say comrade you’re losing track.

“I respected him for his records. I still respect him for his records; by the same token Dumiso must respect the records of other comrades.”

Cde Mutsvangwa went on, “Mphoko was in the war now you want to say you were a commander, disparaging Mphoko in front of the povo who did not go to war.

“That’s losing it comrades. It shows that our commander has lost it. Mphoko can’t be embarrassed in front of povos after sacrificing his life.”

He said he was at Nyadzonia at the formation of the Zimbabwe People’s Army (Zipa) and the late Nikita Mangena came to Mozambique where they encountered problems in uniting the two forces.

He said the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo had deployed Cde Mphoko in Maputo to unite the forces but Dabengwa wanted to use that to discredit the Vice President.

“Mphoko saw the future that we will unite and remained in Maputo. Now you want to say ‘why did you remain there? You sold out.’ Now we have a united army Zipra and Zanla, you want to condemn him for not perpetuating divisions?

“We should respect Vice President Mphoko because he was a revolutionary and saw that we will unite one day.”

Cde Mutsvangwa called on the Zanu-PF structures to include war veterans in positions to avoid distortions from the likes of fired Vice President Joice Mujuru who over estimated her popularity making false claims that she downed a helicopter during the war.

“There’s a woman we were with during the war who was Vice President in the party. She was given a false status claiming that she downed a plane. Where did you ever down a plane?

“The status was given to her by those who didn’t fight the war so that she stands on your heads claiming she was more of a hero than others,” he said.

Cde Mutsvangwa said instead of associating with fellow female freedom fighters Cde Mujuru aligned herself with the likes of Cdes Olivia Muchena and Flora Buka who never went to war and misled her into thinking that she was powerful.

He said involvement of war veterans in party structures guaranteed that the history of the liberation would be recorded correctly.

Cde Mutsvangwa said former organisation’s chairperson Jabulani Sibanda occupied himself with fighting political battles at the expense of the welfare of war veterans.

“Unfortunately for the chairman we had, you see a comrade must show character and people respect comrades, he used to be hired by Gideon Gono to campaign for him. Tomorrow hired by another. Sweating in the rural areas doing other people’s business and never found in the city,” he said.

Cde Mutsvangwa said Sibanda killed the image of the war veterans resulting in their ill-treatment as they were no longer taken seriously.

He said he was engaging big multinational companies to partner war veterans in forming companies so that they move from a welfare organisation into a business-oriented one and take an active role in the country’s economy.

Cde Mutsvangwa said already the Police, Central Intelligence Organisation and the Prisons and Correctional Services were among the best run institutions on the continent because they were headed by war veterans.

This, Cde Mutsvangwa said, was testimony that the former freedom fighters could become successful businesspeople.

“My message here today is walk in confidence. My message here is that I want you to emerge as business cadres from military political cadres. My team will work day and night to make sure that we achieve that,” he said.

Cde Mutsvangwa said he has over the years interacted with the most prominent businesspeople and organisations around the world, promising to use his contacts to guarantee that war veterans would emerge as successful businesspeople.

He blasted the EU for shunning war veterans in their programmes because they were still unhappy with the defeat of the British colonisers in the liberation war.

An estimated 900 war veterans attended the Lupane meeting while about 1,200 former freedom fighters attended the Bulawayo leg held at the Zanu-PF Davies Hall headquarters.