Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
MORE than 5 500 ex-ZPRA combatants have been captured and documented as shareholders of the Nitram properties by the 13-member board which was chosen to spearhead the processes in consultation with the Government as instructed by President Mnangagwa.
The board has further identified and listed 100 properties with 78 of these with title deeds. The ex-ZPRA combatants have been given this week to register their names before a report is consolidated and sent to Vice-President Kembo Mohadi who is expected to give it to President Mnangagwa for further instructions.
At a feedback meeting held at McDonald Hall in Mzilikazi suburb yesterday, Cde Volta Moyo who chairs the 13-member committee tasked to look into the properties said they have identified 100 properties and will be submitting their findings to Cde Mohadi.
“We convened this meeting to give feedback to shareholders on how far we have gone in collecting data of the Nitram properties. So far we have been registering shareholders’ names so that they can legally become the Nitram shareholders.
This is the time when we will be submitting our findings to the leadership. We are finalising the report which we will hand over to our co-ordinator Colonel Tshinga Dube who will hand it over to Vice-President Mohadi to submit it to President Mnangagwa. From there we will wait to hear from the President what the next step should be. So far we have managed to identify authentically 100 properties and 78 of them with title deeds. We have also captured data of up to 5 500 comrades,” said Cde Moyo.
Co-ordinator of the process Colonel (Rtd) Dube encouraged the ex-combatants to co-operate as this is meant to benefit them.
“We are very happy that the current Government has allowed and shown interest to have this issue resolved. It is a process that requires us to be united and organised in order for us to benefit from this. The President saw it fit for us to carry out this process this way to avoid many people approaching him from different angles,” said Col (Rtd) Dube.
When the country gained independence and the ZPRA combatants, the military wing of Zapu, returned home, they were sent to seven assembly points in different parts of the country. The former freedom fighters then contributed $50 each for the purposes of purchasing farms, buildings and other commercial entities. However, due to the teething problems that the country went through between 1982 and 1987, some of the properties were confiscated by the Government led by then Prime Minister, Cde Robert Mugabe. The Second Republic has, however, engaged ex-ZPRA combatants and is in the process of ensuring that the war veterans recover their properties in line with President Mnangagwa’s policy to address all issues arising from past conflicts. — @nyeve14
Bongani Ndlovu