Bogus war veterans in Zanu-PF, govt face exposure

Government's long-running re-vetting exercise for liberation war veterans is nearing completion, with authorities preparing to gazette approved names as part of a process expected to expose individuals accused of falsely claiming wartime credentials.

The update was provided in the Senate by Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs Minister Monica Mavhunga, who confirmed that the verification process has already been completed across war veterans and war collaborators.

She said the remaining step is the formal publication of verified names, which is currently at an advanced stage and requires agreement between the Ministry of Finance and her ministry.

The exercise, which has been expanded over recent years, aims to clean up the national register of liberation war participants amid long-standing allegations that some individuals fraudulently benefited from state support and compensation schemes.

Officials say the gazetting process will formally confirm eligible beneficiaries and may lead to the removal of those found to have falsified claims.

Authorities have previously acknowledged concerns that some individuals, including politically connected figures, may have improperly accessed war veterans' benefits over the years, though detailed figures from the current audit have not been released.

The minister indicated that once gazetting is complete, the next phase will focus on financial and administrative matters linked to verified beneficiaries.

In a related development, security forces have separately arrested a Harare man accused of impersonating a soldier and defrauding job seekers by falsely claiming to facilitate recruitment into the Zimbabwe National Army.

The suspect allegedly used social media to solicit payments from desperate applicants, highlighting ongoing concerns over recruitment scams targeting vulnerable job seekers.