Minister reassures war vets on school fees

THE government will today disburse $2 million to schools countrywide for 8,300 applications that it processed for war veterans' children and other beneficiaries. The money will be paid through banks. War veterans are entitled to pensions, education fees, medical support, funeral cover, loans and subsistence benefits.

Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Ex-Political Detainees and Restrictees Minister, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube, said there had been delays in the processing of the fees due to a slow money transfer systems at the banks.

"We've so far approved 22,500 applications that are ready for payment. This, however, doesn't mean it's the total number of fees that must be paid. Forms have been processed and we're working 24 hours a day to make sure that this is pushed as fast as possible," he said.

"As you're aware that we're facing some problems with the banks, nevertheless, we've so far sent through payments for the first batch of 8,300 applications for $2,5 million. Those can get the money immediately. The money is already being paid and now it depends on the banks," he said adding that 7,000 more payments would be effected soon.

"We were given an amount of $6 million to cover the school fees but you know during the course of time we had the great Indaba which we convened. Due to the problems that we faced, Treasury allowed us to use part of that $6 million. They were going to reimburse us. We are waiting for the Treasury to reimburse part of the money ($2 million) that we used but this is not going to disturb our processing of the fees at all. The fees will all be paid accordingly," he said.

Minister Dube said they wanted to fulfil all the promises President Mugabe made during the meeting with war veterans. Minister Dube said there was nothing wrong in war veterans using government money because the Constitution stated that they must be looked after.

"The truth is that we all must read the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which was not written by war veterans but by everybody, both the ruling party, the opposition parties and everybody agreed that the war veterans should be looked after, that's what we are working on. Today we have some people who're complaining and they forget that they put their signatures on this Constitution so it's not the war veterans, it's the Constitution which says so," he said.