News / National
War vets plot pro-Tshinga-Dube demo
01 Jul 2017 at 13:57hrs | Views
WAR veterans under the banner of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association (ZNLWVA) are reportedly planning to stage a demonstration in support of Cabinet minister Tshinga Dube's call for President Robert Mugabe to anoint a successor.
Dube, the minister responsible for the welfare of war veterans, last weekend put the cat among the pigeons, when he declared that Mugabe needed to appoint or at the very least groom a successor.
"We are planning the mother of all demonstration by war veterans to show our support for minister Tshinga Dube's stance. An announcement will be made soon," a source said.
ZNLWVA boss, Christopher Mutsvangwa referred questions to spokesperson, Douglas Mahiya, who said a decision had not been made.
"We are still consulting with our members on the course of action to take. But I must say we in the war veterans' fraternity have been heartened by Dube's stance. It is the kind of leadership we have been yearning for since 1980 and he has shown the way," Mahiya said.
Dube's pronouncements dovetail with the demands of war veterans, who want Mugabe to anoint Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa as his preferred successor.
With Zanu-PF split between two distinct factions in the ongoing brutal power scrap, the G40 group bitterly opposed to Mnangagwa's bid to succeed Mugabe, aimed their guns at Dube.
A faction of the former fighters led by Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene staged a demonstration in Harare and now ZNLWVA is said to be planning a counter move.
Dube, in dismissing Chimene and her group, on Wednesday told journalists he had since engaged Mugabe and agreed "the decision to choose a successor rests with congress".
Mugabe's relationship with war veterans plummeted early last year after police brutally broke up their meeting in the capital.
Dube, the minister responsible for the welfare of war veterans, last weekend put the cat among the pigeons, when he declared that Mugabe needed to appoint or at the very least groom a successor.
"We are planning the mother of all demonstration by war veterans to show our support for minister Tshinga Dube's stance. An announcement will be made soon," a source said.
ZNLWVA boss, Christopher Mutsvangwa referred questions to spokesperson, Douglas Mahiya, who said a decision had not been made.
"We are still consulting with our members on the course of action to take. But I must say we in the war veterans' fraternity have been heartened by Dube's stance. It is the kind of leadership we have been yearning for since 1980 and he has shown the way," Mahiya said.
With Zanu-PF split between two distinct factions in the ongoing brutal power scrap, the G40 group bitterly opposed to Mnangagwa's bid to succeed Mugabe, aimed their guns at Dube.
A faction of the former fighters led by Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene staged a demonstration in Harare and now ZNLWVA is said to be planning a counter move.
Dube, in dismissing Chimene and her group, on Wednesday told journalists he had since engaged Mugabe and agreed "the decision to choose a successor rests with congress".
Mugabe's relationship with war veterans plummeted early last year after police brutally broke up their meeting in the capital.
Source - newsday
