Chiwenga aligned war vets gun for Mutsvangwa

WAR veterans in Mashonaland West province on Tuesday resolved to recall Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association chairperson Christopher Mutsvangwa on allegations of sowing divisions.

Mutsvangwa also stands accused of alienating himself from the membership after being appointed President Mnangagwa's Special Advisor, a post he no longer holds. When contacted for comment last night, the usually loquacious Chris Mutsvangwa refused to comment on the issue.

The war veterans' provincial leadership comprising the executive, national members from the province and district chairpersons met in Chinhoyi on Tuesday where the resolution was passed. ZNLWVA provincial chairperson for Mashonaland West Cornelius Muoni confirmed the resolution by the war veterans.

He, however, revealed that the provincial executive was yet to write to him.

"I can confirm that war veterans met in Chinhoyi and passed a resolution to recall national chairman Christopher Mutsvangwa for utterances that have been attributed to him lately and causing divisions among the membership," he said.

"War veterans distanced themselves from the utterances that he has been making in denigrating the Command Agriculture programme."

The war veterans, he said, believed that his utterances were his personal views and not those of the general membership.Muoni said the war veterans were of the view that their chairman was no longer representing their interests. As such, he said, the former freedom fighters were angry and bitter with their leader saying they feel neglected after promises to start businesses and projects for them failed to materialise.

Mutsvangwa was quoted in some sections of the media denigrating the Command Agriculture programme as a conduit for alleged state capture. The former freedom fighters said as the province that sponsored his ascendence to the helm of the association, they were now recalling him as they felt he no longer represented their interests.

"War veterans are bitter and angry that Mutsvangwa has abandoned them from the time that he was appointed the special advisor to the President.

"From that time he has not returned to meet the membership and worse still requests by them to meet him have not yielded anything. He does not attend meetings when called by the members," Muoni said.

Mutsvangwa was also accused of fanning divisions through utterances insinuating disharmony in the Presidium. War veterans said Mutsvangwa only came to them when he wanted relevance. Muoni said the meeting was called to update senior leadership in the province on the outcome of meetings with the Minister of War Veterans Affairs Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and Zanu-PF party secretary for administration Obert Mpofu.

The issues discussed, he said, would be cascaded to the lower levels of the association. War veterans' provincial leadership also met President Mnangagwa.

"We called the meeting so that we could brief senior provincial and district leadership on the outcome of meetings we held with Government and Zanu-PF party leadership including Cdes Muchinguri-Kashiri and Obert Mpofu," he said.