Mutsvangwa called to order over war vets association control

WAR VETERANS  have called on Minister of War Veterans  Affairs Christopher Mutsvangwa to ordered and challenged him to stop trying top control the Zimbabwe's National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) and taking over its chairmanship on condition that this complicates the system and infringinges oges of the rights of the former liberation war fighters.

This was after media reports that the ZNLWVA is embroiled in a bitter internal dispute, with two rival factions claiming rightful leadership.

Reports states that on one side stands Mutsvangwa, a former chairman and influential government official claim its control while on the other, a newly elected executive led by Andreas Ethan Mathibela says its in charge.

Indications are that the recent statement by Mutsvangwa announcing upcoming elections for the ZNLWVA leadership has ignited the conflict.

However, a Bulawayo-based war veteran, Max Mkandla said Mutsvangwa must stay away from ZNLWVA structures since he is now a minister and must stop mingling in the war veterans affairs unless when the former liberation war veterans have reported the issues to him as a minister.

"Mutsvangwa as a minister must back off so that the war veterans go and report issues to him. He is more than greedy. He must stop this habit of being power hungry and he must not disturbilise the war veterans. This is not the good time to do this and it must never be,"  Mkandla said.

"We as war veterans must report to him and he Mutsvangwa must then take the issues to the President. Why does he want to be a minister and also the leader of the war veterans association."

Mkandla said Mutsvangwa during Mugabe's time he was fired from the association and he visited Bulawayo and we strategized with him to remove Mugabe and after that he went back and never came back  and he left us out.

"This shows that he is very greedy. The issue that he will call for war vets congress is nonsensical and must be dismissed with costs," Mkandla said.

Media reports say Edward Dube, Mathibela's purported Secretary-General, refutes Mutsvangwa's authority, declaring him ineligible to act since his term expired in 2019.

The report states that Dube further asserted the legitimacy of the newly elected executive and dismisses Mutsvangwa's pronouncements as "invalid and without legal effect."

Moffat Elias Marashwa, a war veterans leader aligned with Mutsvangwa, suggests he wields authority delegated by President Mnangagwa, implying the faction enjoys government backing.

He accused the Mathibela-Dube camp of working with the opposition, adding another layer of intrigue to the conflict.

This internal rift throws the ZNLWVA's future into uncertainty.