Jabulani Sibanda to stay in Masvingo

The Zimbabwe war veterans have warned people to stop meddling with the activities of their national chairman, Jabulani Sibanda, saying no one has the right to block his campaign activities or chase him from the province. state controlled 'The Herald' reported on Monday.

The warning follows a resolution passed by the Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial co-ordinating committee led by provincial chairman, Lovemore Matuke last week ordering Sibanda to stop his political activities in the province.

He argued Sibanda had overstayed in the province and it was time to leave.

Sibanda has been here since the beginning of the year on a war veterans association's programme code-named "Operation Kubudirana Pachena".

The programme is meant to educate people about the history of the liberation struggle and the continued threats from neo-imperial aggression.

Speaking after a war veterans provincial council meeting held in Masvingo over the weekend, Masvingo war veterans provincial chairman, Retired Colonel Jefta Rupuvu, said Sibanda was not going to leave Masvingo.

He said the war veterans leader would only leave after they were satisfied that he had completed his mission. Rtd Col Rupuvu said no one had the powers to order Sibanda out of Masvingo.

"We want to set the record clear to all those who might be doubting our national leader, Sibanda is not going anywhere as no one has the power to order him out of this province (Masvingo).

"It is the war veterans who invited him here and they are the same people who will only tell him to leave the province when the right time comes.

"We wonder why some people would want to interfere in activities that have nothing to do with them. It is us the war veterans in Masvingo who invited Sibanda and we will tell him to go after he has completed his Operation Kubudirana Pachena exercise," said Rtd Col Rupuvu.

He added that it was unfortunate that the Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial executive wanted Sibanda to leave Masvingo from a programme that was solely sponsored by the war veterans association.

Rtd Col Rupuvu said the war veterans association was an affiliate of Zanu-PF and had its own leadership structure that did not take instructions from Zanu PF provincial leaders or politburo members.

He said the association would only take instructions from its national patron and President Mugabe.

"We are an affiliate of Zanu-PF and we have our own leadership structure goes all the way to President Mugabe, who is our patron. We do not take instructions from the Zanu-PF provincial executive or politburo members but we have total allegiance to our patron who is President Mugabe," he said.

He said all those who were calling for Sibanda's ouster were ill advised and interfering in the affairs of war veterans.

The Operation Kubudira Pachena, the war veterans said, was an internally funded programme aimed at educating people in Zimbabwe about the liberation struggle and the new threats to the country's sovereignty and independence.

Masvingo war veterans provincial secretary, Buddy Spencer Mandipaka, what Sibanda was doing in Masvingo had the full backing of war veterans countrywide.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Matuke, said while he simply announced what Zanu-PF had resolved to do at its provincial co-ordinating committee meeting, it was imperative for party cadres to not try and solve their internal problems through the media.

The war veterans provincial council was attended by members drawn from Masvingo's seven administrative districts.