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War vets woo Dabengwa
05 Sep 2017 at 14:41hrs | Views
Veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle are courting former Home Affairs minister and Zapu president Dumiso Dabengwa who left Zanu-PF a decade ago after growing disillusioned with policies of the former liberation movement.
It is not clear what role the war veterans want the decorated liberation war hero to play.
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) chairperson Chris Mutsvangwa told the Daily News that the ex-combatants had held meetings with Dabengwa on many occasions.
"I met on several occasions with Dumiso Dabengwa, my respected war time general. He came and addressed our last ZNLWA meeting at National City Sports Centre. I joined the birthday honours of Lucas Hadebe, the first Zipra (Zimbabwe People Revolutionary Army) armed guerrilla of the 1960s.
"We were joint key note speakers at Joshua Nkomo centenary event hosted at Wits University. All told, we still share a common national vision of our Zanla and Zipra joint military history as national liberation movements that are the crucible of the present defence and security establishment of Zimbabwe.
"His absence from national governance and economic discourse has created unwarranted space for the counter revolutionary G40 to usurp State House and destroy all the hopes of a confident and capable populace," said Mutsvangwa.
Impeccable sources told the Daily News that war veterans, most who have publicly declared their support for Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa in his reported presidential ambitions, want Dabengwa to play a role in their current fight against the G40 faction.
Yesterday, Dabengwa was not picking up his phone but his party has thus far refused to enter into any alliance agreement with other opposition parties raising speculation in opposition circles that Zapu could rejoin a reformed Zanu-PF.
Dabengwa left Zanu-PF in 2008 but has consistently refused to be drawn into any opposition alliances.
In 2013, Dabengwa boasted that he along with former Finance minister Simba Makoni, who now lead Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn united to divide the opposition vote in order to prevent Tsvangirai's outright victory.
"I think we achieved what we had set ourselves to achieve and that is to make sure Morgan (Tsvangirai) did not win that election and that Mugabe did not win that election," Dabengwa said then.
It is not clear what role the war veterans want the decorated liberation war hero to play.
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) chairperson Chris Mutsvangwa told the Daily News that the ex-combatants had held meetings with Dabengwa on many occasions.
"I met on several occasions with Dumiso Dabengwa, my respected war time general. He came and addressed our last ZNLWA meeting at National City Sports Centre. I joined the birthday honours of Lucas Hadebe, the first Zipra (Zimbabwe People Revolutionary Army) armed guerrilla of the 1960s.
"We were joint key note speakers at Joshua Nkomo centenary event hosted at Wits University. All told, we still share a common national vision of our Zanla and Zipra joint military history as national liberation movements that are the crucible of the present defence and security establishment of Zimbabwe.
Impeccable sources told the Daily News that war veterans, most who have publicly declared their support for Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa in his reported presidential ambitions, want Dabengwa to play a role in their current fight against the G40 faction.
Yesterday, Dabengwa was not picking up his phone but his party has thus far refused to enter into any alliance agreement with other opposition parties raising speculation in opposition circles that Zapu could rejoin a reformed Zanu-PF.
Dabengwa left Zanu-PF in 2008 but has consistently refused to be drawn into any opposition alliances.
In 2013, Dabengwa boasted that he along with former Finance minister Simba Makoni, who now lead Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn united to divide the opposition vote in order to prevent Tsvangirai's outright victory.
"I think we achieved what we had set ourselves to achieve and that is to make sure Morgan (Tsvangirai) did not win that election and that Mugabe did not win that election," Dabengwa said then.
Source - dailynews
