Attempts to reinstate Jabulani Sibanda blasted

Elders of the war veterans committee chairperson Patrick Nyaruwata has castigated misguided elements in the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) for holding a press conference in a desperate attempt to reinstate the ousted Jabulani Sibanda.

The Jabulani Sibanda-led executive of the ZNLWVA, which is going to be replaced at a forthcoming congress as directed by their patron President Robert Mugabe, is headed for a showdown with the elders of the war veterans following the holding of an unsanctioned press conference.

Nyaruwata said the beleaguered ZNLWVA executive will be dealt with for going against their patron by denouncing the committee set up to ensure a smooth transition of leadership in their ranks.

The ZNLWVA executive thumped its nose at their patron by claiming to overturn the decision to oust Sibanda as chairperson of the organisation, and insisting that they do not recognise the committee of the elders of the war veterans.

ZBC News has it in good authority that the beleaguered executive earlier on attacked Didymus Mutasa whom they accuse of misinforming their patron over the now public utterances made by their ousted leader Sibanda.

The executive also resolved to send a 7-member team led by Retired Assistant Commissioner Pfumvuti to meet President Mugabe.

They resolved that the assembled team will not go through the usual channel of Mutasa.

ZBC News is also reliably informed that the executive is opposed to the holding of a war veterans' congress which will usher in a new leadership as directed by their patron.

They, however, insist that should they fail to stop the congress, then they should be responsible for choosing delegates who will attend it.

President Mugabe, addressing war veterans last week, mandated Nyaruwata and Victor Matemadanda with organising a congress to reorganise ZNLWVA structures before the Zanu PF congress that starts on the 2nd of December.

The congress will ensure a new executive is put in place, replacing the one led by Sibanda which held the press conference on Thursday.

Sibanda attacked the First Family and threatened to organise a march to State House to meet President Mugabe.

Meanwhile, analysts say the statement released on Thursday by the beleaguered Jabulani Sibanda-led executive is both shocking as it was unexpected and revealing in the detail provided.

The war veterans group claims that in 2008 some among them led by Chilis Mutanda petitioned South African and Botswana presidents to help oust President Mugabe from office.

In the same statement, the group makes claims of strong connections between sections of the war veterans and Americans in which the latter was said to be willing to sponsor the war vets if they dumped Zanu PF.

Analysts say such allegations are damaging as they reveal a regime change agenda among the liberators of this country, but what is equally shocking is that the Sibanda-led executive was holding on to such information for 5 years only releasing it today in the face of mounting pressure over their leadership.

Analysts also conclude that the support given to Sibanda by his executive implies that they believe in his public utterances and also make it clear that he was speaking on their behalf.

This means the beleaguered war vets leader has fallen together with his executive which will be replaced at the forthcoming war vets congress.