War vets are orphans in parliament: Outspoken war vet says

The war veterans are currently orphans in parliament as no legislator openly talks about them or represents their issues, despite the fact that some of them who were vetted in 2023 up to date have not received their pensions from the government.

This was said by the outspoken Ex Zipra war veteran Max Mkandla, who described the situation as precarious and unfair for those who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the country to be still under serious poverty 45 years after independence.

"War veterans are currently not represented in parliament, as no one speaks about them or their issues in the current August house. Those who were vetted in 2023 have still not yet been paid their dues, and the sad part of it is that no one in parliament has dared to talk about these issues," Mkandla said.

"There should be someone talking about these issues in Parliament, but looking at the age of those legislators who are currently in that house, no one will talk about these issues. Those people must be paid. If it is not important that they should be paid, why then waste time vetting them?"

Mkandla said most of those who were recently vetted have not been paid and it's not clear from the government when they would be paid amid his calls for them to be paid urgently.

He also lamented the lack of Zapu representation in the governing party Zanu PF, saying it's only Vice President Kembo Mohadi who remains, and this means the death of the Unity accord that was signed by the late former Vice President Joshua Nkomo and late former President Robert Mugabe in 1987.

As a result, he said the Zapu issues that were agreed upon at the unity signing no longer have anyone to push for them in government and the ruling party.