NEW: War veterans to be vetted   Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri

Mashudu Netsianda, Online Reporter

GOVERNMENT has finalised preparations for second phase of the 12-day vetting exercise of veterans of the liberation struggle with the Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri expected to launch the programme on Monday.

President Mnangagwa last year in June launched the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Economic Empowerment Programmes and Vetting Exercise in Harare in recognition of the contribution made by war veterans including non-combatant cadres, ex-political prisoners, detainees, restrictees and war collaborators during the Second Chimurenga/Umvukela.

Under the second phase of the programme, applicants who registered are supposed to report for vetting at various centres across the country’s 10 provinces where vetting teams will be deployed to ascertain their credential starting Sunday.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs said vetting will be done according to categories of veterans as described in section 2 of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act, Chapter 17:12.

In terms of the notice of the commencement of the exercise, vetting centres for war collaborators and war veterans will run from March 20 to March 31, 2022 while the vetting period for no-combatant cadres, ex-political prisoners, detainees and restrictees will be from March 20 to March 26, 2022.

“Preparations for the vetting, which is Phase 2 have been finalised. Accordingly, the Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, Honourable Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri will launch Phase 2 of the exercise on March 14, 2022,” read the statement.

“In Phase 2, applicants who registered are invited to report for vetting at centres where vetting teams will be deployed to ascertain their credentials during that period. Those who did not register for various reasons are also advised to report in accordance with the same arrangements.”

Vetting centres for war collaborators will be conducted in the areas where they operated during the liberation war with commanders and war veterans who operated together with them in different operational areas doing the exercise.

For the remnants of war veterans, vetting will be in the areas they operated in during the war. Their commanders and other war veterans whom they operated with including locals where necessary, will conduct the exercise. This will be the final mop -up exercise for this category of veterans.

In the case of non-combatants, remnants for ex-political prisoners, detainees and restrictees, vetting will be done in the provincial capitals of the districts where they submitted registration forms.

“Those who did not register should report to the nearest provincial offices of the Department of War Veterans Affairs. Vetting will be done by commanders of the following transit camps: Botswana (Dukwe, Francistown and Selibe Phikwe), Mozambique (Chibawawa, Doeroi, Mabvudzi and Nyadzonya), Zambia (Jason Ziyaphapha, Maheba, Nampundu, Solwezi and Victory),” read the statement.

In Bulawayo, the vetting centre for non-combatant cadres, ex-political prisoners, detainees and restrictees will be at Elangeni Training Institute while in Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North the centres are Gwanda District Club and Lupane Community Hall respectively. In the Midlands, the centre is Gweru City Theatre.

The vetting of war collaborators to determine genuine members who are supposed to receive their benefits is enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe

In 2013, the Zimbabwe National Army called for the vetting of war veterans after a realisation that there were some former freedom fighters who were not benefiting from the War Veterans Fund.

In a letter addressed to the war veterans, General Philip Valerio Sibanda, who was then Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) commander, said everyone who took part in the liberation struggle as defined by the War Veterans Act, had a right to benefit from the fund.

@mashnets

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