Children of war veterans distance selves from Zanu-PF

CHILDREN of Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association (CZNLWVA) members have severed ties with the ruling Zanu-PF, saying they could not continue associating with a party that has spurned their parents.

CZNLWVA chairperson, Innocent Mhlanga confirmed the development in a December 24, 2016 letter addressed to Zanu-PF youth secretary, Kudzanai Chipanga.

"This letter serves to confirm that CZNLWVA has withdrawn its affiliation to the youth league largely because the Zanu-PF youth league continues to interfere in our day-to-day activities as an association," he wrote.

CZNLWVA also accused the youth league of holding meetings with bogus children of war veterans and using them to denounce the party and government leadership, including War Veterans' minister Tshinga Dube and Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

"We are a group working on the welfare of children of war veterans and not a political force. Even though some war veterans were expelled from Zanu-PF, they remain our parents and we, therefore, cannot be seen insulting our own parents for political mileage," Mhlanga said.

He said CZNLWVA was not part of the meeting, where Zanu-PF Harare youth provincial leader, Edson Takataka, dressed down Dube, accusing him of continuously recognising Mutsvangwa's executive, despite the fact that the latter was fired from the ruling party.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Chipanga said the Zanu-PF youth league ceased to recognise CZNLWVA after its leaders were expelled from the party last year.

"We dismissed their leadership last year and in terms of operation, they should have known that we had cut all relations with them. However, there are other children of war veterans, who have continued to work with us and those are the ones who we are working with," he said.