War veterans backbone of Zimbabwe State apparatus, Zanu-PF claims

THE ruling Zanu-PF party has declared that war veterans are part of Zimbabwe's State apparatus, which includes the army and police.

Addressing a Press conference in the capital last Friday, party spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said war veterans were being sidelined in the party's decision-making processes, yet "they were the back bone of the State apparatus".

The briefing was meant to set the stage for a new Zanu-PF unit to be named the War Veterans' League, which will ensure that the ex-freedom fighters participate in party processes.

"It was remiss that the war veterans were not part of the party structures considering that they are very much the cradle of the Zimbabwe State apparatus. The party may have charted the political course, but the Zimbabwe State apparatus owes itself to the war veterans – those who are wearing uniforms and those who felt that the task had been accomplished at independence and decided to go back to civilian life," Mutsvangwa said.

Secretary for war veteran in the politburo Douglas Mahiya said war veterans had been sidelined for 42 years.

"We had 42 years of struggling to be in our rightful place.  This engagement of war veterans will change the tide and ensure elections are won in favour of the Zanu-PF party.

"Let me be bold to declare that Zanu-PF will never be the same with the arrival of the boys and that the boys and girls are back in town.  The tone of the party will have to change. The character of individuals will have to change. We are not compromising that Zanu-PF candidates should win by huge margins.  If we fail it should be by a 99,99% margin," Mahiya said.

He urged war veterans to raise political consciousness of the masses.

Mahiya said the war veterans league's main tasks include indoctrinating the masses.

"The war veterans are the force of the party.  When the people of Zimbabwe decided to fight against imperialism and capitalism, they created an army and a force and that force defeated the imperial laws, and armies and forced them to come to the negotiating table," Mahiya said.

"We are the power of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and we need to educate and create awareness of what the party Zanu-PF has done so far, especially the new dispensation."