Watch: (Shona) MaFake war veterans with Brett MuVet

English Transcript

There comes a time when one has to stand up and speak the truth no matter what others may think. Here at Brett Mu Vet that time is everyday, and that's what we do.

Everyone in Zimbabwe has the highest respect for liberation war heroes. It takes a lot of courage, selflessness and bravery to leave your home, your family, your school/work and walk for days through dangerous bush and to arrive at a camp full of strangers, where you hope to receive training so that you can go back home and fight for freedom.

Those were definitely not easy times.

However, there is a fine line between getting compensation and outright looting of our countries resources.

In 1980 there were 32000 war vets. Today there are over 50 000. How they multiplied, I have no idea, but that fact alone should show us that already there is a problem and someone is lying.

This week our President met with these War vets and bloody hell have we now learnt how our liberators really think. Besides the usual bootlicking and singing, the war vets demanded the following;

- Hearing Aids for all, and to be flown to overseas doctors for specialist treatment - 20% quota on presidential scholarships

- Doubling of their monthly pensions

- Land from local authorities must be given to them free of charge

- They are losing their houses and want government to help pay back their loans

- Want 20% of all land acquired by government

- They want to be exempted from paying all land taxes

- They want to have preferential appointments to posts such as Ambassadors, CEOs, Commissioners and other senior government positions

- They want 10% of all mining concessions

- They want 20% shares in each and every indigenized company

- They want the party Commissar to be a war vet

- They want elected party members who didn't go to war, to go through an IDELOGICAL ORIENTATION PROGRAM in order to effectively serve the people.

- AND THE MOST WORRYING

- they also agreed that politics and the Gun should co-exist, quoting Mugabes statement during the liberation war that the Gun is the Guarantor of the vote.

I am in absolute shock at these demands. Who do they think they are? If you told us that this is how you wanted to loot this country, maybe we would have told you to let Smith continue to rule until we found freedom fighters. You are not freedom fighters, you are mercenaries, you have fought a war in exchange for monetary rewards. You are not even 0.5% of the population and yet you are demanding 20% of everything? Lets not forget that in 1997 you were paid out massive amounts of money, you all benefitted and looted the war veterans compensation fund. Some of you spent that money buying cabbages for your cows!!! Aiwa guys, enough is enough.

This has gone beyond what a reasonable person can bear. This is now theft of national resources and abuse of public office. And to say that the gun must accompany Politics, what exactly are you trying to say? Are you trying to intimidate us into accepting your demands? That wont work. Most of you can even run 100meters, nevermind lift up an AK-47 or even shoot straight. If you give us the choice between violence and accepting your demands, DON'T BE SURPRISED WHEN WE SAY WE CHOOSE VIOLENCE!!! You have shown us your true colors once and for all. And to think as activists we were very much prepared to accept and honor your current benefits no matter who took over government. Well that is now under review by the people of Zimbabwe. We cannot say we are free, when we have a small minority who think the country owes them and their future generations a living.

In other countries freedom fighters were incorporated into the army, others into the police, others into government. And it was then up to them to make a life and carry on. Nowhere in the world do you hear of such demands, made 36years AFTER the actual war!!! You are opportunists, fake war veterans, mercenaries, who smell that end of the Junta and want to have one final looting spree. The country is struggling, government has no money, the junta has looted everything. Instead of discussing economic turnaround, you spent the entire afternoon telling us what you want from us? Pathetic.

You have lost my respect, and im sure millions of other Zimbabweans feel the same way. We don't have Freedom fighters in Zimbabwe anymore. We have paid mercenaries.