Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve in Matetsi
GOVERNMENT’S commitment to the welfare of Zimbabwe’s liberation war heroes is bearing tangible fruit, with strategic assets placed under the Veterans Investment Holding Company (VIHC) being rejuvenated from dormancy to profitability.
The revitalisation ensures that the dividends of the country’s liberation struggle now directly benefit the veterans and their dependants through the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Fund.
Government, under President Mnangagwa, established a dedicated Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs and transferred key national assets to a new investment vehicle, VIHC.
These assets, comprising farms, mining claims, and tourism facilities across all provinces, had previously been neglected but are now being aggressively operationalised to generate sustainable revenue.
At the heart of this rejuvenation drive is a portfolio of agricultural properties. Minister of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs, Senator Monica Mavhunga, recently highlighted the progress being made, noting that farming activities are being scaled up significantly.
“A week ago, you saw me at Kashao Farm…and I was also at Nyadora, where we have a big tobacco seed bed. This coming season, we are to put 60 hectares of tobacco.
“Sometimes I was at Chisase there in Masvingo, where we grew sorghum. We’re trying to make sure that all these farms are put to good use,” said Minister Mavhunga.
The strategic partnerships and joint ventures being established at these farms are designed to unlock value and ensure maximum production.
Beyond agriculture, the Government is also breathing life into tourism and mining assets. On Wednesday, Minister
Mavhunga visited one of the key investments under VIHC, the Matetsi Unit 4 Hunting Concession, to assess operations and future development plans.
The facility, which was not in good shape when it was allocated to the Ministry, is now being upgraded to attract more clients.
“It was allocated to the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle for us to raise funds towards the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Fund, which is provided for by the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act, Chapter 1712,” she said.
“And to run this property is a Veterans Investment Holding Company. Our reason for being here is to appreciate the works being done by the company,” said Minister Mavhunga.
“So, we’re proposing that they put some platforms whereby they build some tents whenever they have more customers. Again, we’ve learned that for us to have more animals here, we need to have food, we need to have enough water, and protection.”
The Minister also addressed the challenge of poaching, emphasising the need for community engagement.
“What we have learnt is that most of the poachers are just the surrounding people who want the meat just to sell for them to make a living. So, there’s a need for us to have good relations with the surrounding people, so much that they will take the project to be theirs,” she said.
The overarching goal of these projects is to create a sustainable income stream that will cover the critical needs of veterans, including healthcare, education for their children, and funeral assistance.
“Being institutional assets, they raise funds for the rest of the people, because once the fund goes into the veterans fund, that’s where they demand their treatment, health care, for the education of their children, and sometimes for use when one dies,” she said.
“We intend to support individual comrades from the proceeds of the projects that are run as an institution. We also have assets in the form of mines, and we also want to operationalise all our mines. In terms of tourist attraction areas, we have this one, a hunting concession.
“We have another one, Snanga, which we want to develop again. We’ve Popoteke Gorge and we are trying our best to ensure that we raise funds to support our veterans,” she said.
Veterans Investment Holdings Company Group CEO, Mr Cougan Matanhire, confirmed that the performance of the investment companies is now on an upward trajectory.
“Traditionally, these assets were almost in a dormant state, but when the Government took a strategic move to set up a separate ministry, which is now the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs, and to transfer the assets from Power Zimbabwe into the new investment vehicle, we have now seen a lot of returns now coming up,” Mr Matanhire said.
He elaborated on plans to further enhance the Matetsi concession and introduce innovative solutions to benefit veterans.
“We continue to come up with innovative ideas to make sure these assets are functional now, and also they are producing maximum returns to achieve the intended benefit of supporting more of our veterans,” he said.
Minister Mavhunga was accompanied by her Ministry officials.
