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Andrew Ndlovu to take on Jabulani Sibanda
17 Jan 2014 at 10:38hrs | Views
FORMER Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association (ZNLWVA) secretary for projects Andrew Ndlovu has revealed that he would challenge incumbent war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda for the top post.
Ndlovu said he had been approached by some disgruntled members of the association to stand for the chairmanship citing lack of assistance from Sibanda's current executive.
Ndlovu alleges that a number of former Zanla and Zipra combatants had on numerous occasions approached him to take over from Sibanda, whom they accused of politicising the organisation.
"Ex-combatants from various parts of the country have on several occasions approached and encouraged me to take over the ZNLWVA leadership," Ndlovu said.
"But I have told them that it's them who in 2003 decided to choose Sibanda ahead of me and if they want me to take over the leadership, they must be prepared to do away with political party interference in the running of the organisation. They must cease political sloganeering or affiliation as an organisation," he said.
Ndlovu lost to Sibanda at the 2003 congress. Ndlovu said war veterans had decided to elect a completely new executive that year and this had resulted in most of the ZNLWVA programmes faltering as the new executive had no clue on what needed to be done.
"They made a mistake by removing all of us and that stopped the continuity of programmes which the Hunzvi-led executive had initiated through consultation with President Robert Mugabe," Ndlovu said.
"Sibanda was not even in the structures of the association, but was chosen to lead the organisation and he had no idea of what we had agreed with the president in 1997.
"Otherwise Joseph Chinotimba, who was in the Harare provincial executive structure, was far better and had the knowhow of most of the programmes," Ndlovu said.
He said the organisation was dead and members were suffering due to lack of leadership.
"The war veterans have been coming to me, but I told them I could lead them under the conditions I have given. I am not power hungry. I advised them that the only way to renew leadership was through congress, but as for now it is not clear when the congress will be held," he said.
Ndlovu said he had been approached by some disgruntled members of the association to stand for the chairmanship citing lack of assistance from Sibanda's current executive.
Ndlovu alleges that a number of former Zanla and Zipra combatants had on numerous occasions approached him to take over from Sibanda, whom they accused of politicising the organisation.
"Ex-combatants from various parts of the country have on several occasions approached and encouraged me to take over the ZNLWVA leadership," Ndlovu said.
"But I have told them that it's them who in 2003 decided to choose Sibanda ahead of me and if they want me to take over the leadership, they must be prepared to do away with political party interference in the running of the organisation. They must cease political sloganeering or affiliation as an organisation," he said.
"They made a mistake by removing all of us and that stopped the continuity of programmes which the Hunzvi-led executive had initiated through consultation with President Robert Mugabe," Ndlovu said.
"Sibanda was not even in the structures of the association, but was chosen to lead the organisation and he had no idea of what we had agreed with the president in 1997.
"Otherwise Joseph Chinotimba, who was in the Harare provincial executive structure, was far better and had the knowhow of most of the programmes," Ndlovu said.
He said the organisation was dead and members were suffering due to lack of leadership.
"The war veterans have been coming to me, but I told them I could lead them under the conditions I have given. I am not power hungry. I advised them that the only way to renew leadership was through congress, but as for now it is not clear when the congress will be held," he said.
Source - southerneye
