Exempt war vets from parking discs payment, MP

MBUDZI West constituency legislator Cde Knowledge Kaitano has called for honouring war veterans even on little things such as not queuing for hospital medication and being exempted from paying parking discs in cities.

In his contribution at the Lower House Tuesday following a report of The Portfolio Committee On Defence, Home Affairs, Security And War Veterans Affairs on the petition from the children of war Veterans and Heroes’ Dependants Forum as presented by Cde Albert Nguluvhe, chairperson of the Parliamentary portfolio committee on Defence, Home Affairs, Security Services and War Veterans’ Affairs, Cde Kaitano said it was critical for the country to continue honouring at an accelerated rate, those that fought for the liberation of Zimbabwe, noting that while there are bigger things that can be done, there are also smaller things that as a nation can be done to honour the gallant fighters.

He said those little things will go a long way in the war veterans’ social and psychological lives.

“In Zimbabwe, we recognise our Chiefs and village heads. They have badges and when you see them, you know ndava changamire ava. Our war veterans do not have such, we queue with them when we are waiting for buses, and we queue together with them when queueing for hospital medication. We queue with them all over the place. When they park their cars in the municipalities, their cars are clamped if they do not pay parking fees. Is that what we want for our war veterans?” said Cde Kaitano.

He said some war veterans sometimes even fail to pay tax, land tax or the levies for their farms, land which they went to war for and now that the land is in their hands, they get to be punished.

“If we give foreign investors some tax holidays to come and invest in this country, how much more of those people that have fought for the peace of this country? The investors are coming here because of that peace, should we not give them some tax holidays as a way of honouring what they have done and as a way of saying thank you war veterans for the great work that you have done, for the sweat, for the blood that you shed. Is that asking too much Madam Speaker,” said Cde Kaitano.