Mugabe, war vets to meet

PRESIDENT Mugabe's meeting with war veterans will be held any time this year after the alignment of laws that have to do with matters affecting freedom fighters with the Constitution, a Cabinet Minister has said.

In an interview yesterday, the Minister of War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube, said constitutional amendments will take precedence.

The Minister said the meeting is supposed to be held once a year, not necessarily every April, but any month.

He said there are many issues that affect war veterans that need to be addressed prior to their meeting with their patron.

"Alignment of laws to the constitution is one thing that has been holding us. Because we are keen to make sure that these collaborators, the cadres and all other groups, those who were war victims are covered in the Constitution. The laws were put in the Constitution but there hasn't been an alignment exercise of the laws to the Constitution," said Rtd Col Dube.

He said his Ministry was planning for a meeting between war veterans and President Mugabe after the alignment of the laws.

"They (laws) have to go to Parliament and we are working on that at Cabinet stage. So I think they should go through Parliament before the great indaba. So by the time we meet up with the President we hope to have finalised all these issues," said Rtd Col Dube

He said once that has been done, the President's Office would give them a date when to hold the meeting.

"It doesn't have to be April all the time, in May or June but once a year the President promised to meet with war veterans. We are already working preparing for the meeting but we don't have the set date yet," Rtd Col Dube.