War vets vetting exercise creates confusion

HUNDREDS of war veterans have reportedly been turned away from the ongoing vetting exercise which started last week after failing to provide witnesses to prove their liberation war credentials.

Speaking in separate interviews on Wednesday, war veterans' leaders from the Matabeleland region said the vetting team came with "conflicting" instructions, which made it difficult for most war veterans to be vetted.

War veteran and Zanu-PF Central Committee member Godfrey Malaba said in Bulawayo the exercise was postponed to a date yet to be announced as a majority of  war veterans were not vetted.

"The exercise received an overwhelming response but most war veterans did not go through the vetting process because the vetting team came with conflicting instructions. The war veterans were told that the vetting exercise was only for those who were vetted in 1997 but did not get their dues," said Malaba.

"The war veterans who were also vetted are the women who were trained at Mkushi Camp in Zambia, while the rest were turned away."

Malaba said the vetting team was winding up in Matabeleland North, but said a new date would be announced for another exercise.

"We will soon announce a date for another vetting exercise because this exercise captured a few camps.

"The exercise was done in Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and it is winding up in Matabeleland North. There are a number of issues that have to be sorted out so that all those who took part in the liberation struggle benefit," said Malaba.

Matabeleland North war veterans chairman Jonathan Nkanyezi said the exercise has created a lot of confusion in the province.

"Most war veterans were turned away and told to bring witnesses. The vetting team also said it was vetting war veterans from selected camps.

"This vetting process has created a lot of confusion and problems because we mobilised all the people who are supposed to benefit from it but most of them were not vetted. Now they are coming back to me but I also do not know what is happening," said Nkanyezi.

He said the vetting team was spending only a day in an area.

"The problem is that the vetting team was spending only one day in a district, where an average of about 100 people had to be vetted. Those who were turned away for not bringing witnesses had to board buses to follow the team.

"Those who had no money had no choice but to wait for another chance. We have actually decided to write to the national leadership and request that another vetting exercise be done again because very few war veterans benefited from this exercise," said Nkanyezi.

A war veteran leader in Matabeleland South, Elliot Mnkandla said war veterans in the province were disappointed.

"The system used to vet the war veterans left most of them disappointed and that is what happened last time when the exercise was done. The problem is that some of the people that are vetting the war veterans were at school during the liberation struggle and they do not have adequate background," said Mnkandla.

He appealed to the responsible authorities to do something about the criteria that is being used in the exercise, saying some people were selling their livestock so that they could travel to the vetting centres, only to be turned away.