Mugabe,war veterans square off again

President Robert Mugabe  is set to square off with Zimbabwe  National Liberation War Veterans' Association (ZNLWVA) during his annual engagement with the former liberation fighters.

The meeting might happen from mid-June to end of June.

According to War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube his ministry would invite war veterans chairperson Christopher Mutsvangwa and his top executive Mutsvangwa to a meeting with Mugabe.

"We recognise the leadership which was elected in Masvingo, which includes the chairman Mutsvangwa and (spokesperson Mandiitawepi) Chimene. These people will be invited to meet the President at the indaba," Dube said as reported by NewsDay.

"We will also invite other war veterans from other organisations regardless of their political affiliations or beliefs because this is a war veterans' indaba."

The parties last met in April last year, where war veterans accused the government of neglecting them and failing to improve their welfare.

The frosty relationship between Mugabe and war veterans took a nosedive four months later, when the ex-freedom fighters wrote a damning communiqué calling on him to step down and labelling him as "genocidal and a dictator".

Mugabe reacted to the rejection with fury and ordered a crackdown on ZNLWVA leaders.