Zimbabwe war vets petition Parly demanding more recognition

The Zimbabwe National Association of Liberation War Veteran Cadres (ZNALWVC) has petitioned Parliament to amend the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act, seeking greater recognition and access to welfare benefits for thousands of its members who contributed to the country's independence but remain unacknowledged under current law.

In the petition, tabled before Parliament and referred to the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs, Security Services and War Veterans' Affairs, the association urged lawmakers to amend the interpretation section of the Act to redefine key terms such as "non-combatant cadre" and "war veteran." The group also called for a clearer legal understanding of phrases such as "a person who did not get military training" and "a person who assisted a war veteran."

The Constitution's Section 84 (2) mandates that an Act of Parliament confer upon liberation war veterans the entitlements due to them, including recognition for their contribution to Zimbabwe's independence, pensions, healthcare, land, empowerment opportunities, and education benefits for their dependants.

However, according to a report presented in Parliament, the petitioners expressed frustration over delays by the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs in processing benefits, leaving many former cadres living in poverty.

"Petitioners were worried about the delays by the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs in facilitating access to benefits due to them, and as a result, many were wallowing in poverty," the committee report read.

The Ministry confirmed that Part III of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act [Chapter 17:12] already outlines various benefits - including basic pensions, one-off gratuities, education support, medical and dental care, and funeral assistance - but admitted that the vetting process had taken longer than expected.

Committee findings revealed that the vetting exercises conducted in 2022 and 2024 identified 152,064 war collaborators and 10,937 non-combatant cadres. Yet, despite completing the process, the names of eligible individuals have not been published in the Government Gazette as required by Section 8 (8) of the Act, which stipulates that such publication must occur at least twice a year to confirm provisional accreditation.

"The vetting process has taken too long, and as a result, a number of veterans were living in poverty," the report stated. "Cadres continue to live in abject poverty, many with unmanaged health conditions due to advanced age; some have succumbed to illness, while others are in wheelchairs."

The Secretary for Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs admitted that delays were mainly due to ongoing consultations with the Treasury but confirmed that the Ministry is now ready to publish the names for public scrutiny in line with legal provisions.

The committee urged the Ministry to expedite the publication of results to allow vetted cadres and war collaborators to start receiving their long-overdue benefits.

It further recommended that the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion allocate sufficient funds in the 2026 national budget to pay lump-sum benefits to all verified veterans, suggesting that payments could be rolled out in phases but completed by 31 December 2026.

The issue of compensation for liberation war participants has long been politically sensitive. In 1997, war veterans pressured then-President Robert Mugabe to grant them unbudgeted payouts of Z$50,000 each, a move that triggered a major economic collapse now remembered as "Black Friday."

Nearly three decades later, thousands of ex-combatants, war collaborators, and non-combatant cadres remain unrecognised or uncompensated - a situation the latest petition seeks to finally resolve through legislative clarity and administrative urgency.