Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
THE Government is set to resume the vetting of war collaborators and non-combatants in a mop-up exercise that will see the names of those who will have succeeded being gazetted so that they get the benefits entitled to them.
The mop-up exercise that is scheduled for this month comes after the 2022 vetting exercise, which saw more than 110 000 war collaborators and more than 10 000 non-combatants cadres provisionally succeeding in the vetting process.
Responding to questions from members of the National Assembly recently, the Minister of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, Senator Monica Mavunga said the exercise was targeting more than 90 000 individuals who were not vetted due to financial constraints.
“Following the promulgation of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act, Chapter 17:12, it became necessary to ascertain the credentials of war collaborators and non-combatant cadres. As such, a vetting exercise was carried out in 2022 resulting in some 110 635 war collaborators and 10 022 non-combatant cadres being provisionally successfully vetted.
“However, due to limited resources, some 93 363 individuals were not vetted. As such, this September, we want to resume the mop-up vetting exercise after which, we are to gazette the names of those vetted previously and the ones who will have been vetted this month,” said Sen Mavunga.
She said after gazetting, those who will be successful will be considered for their entitled benefits.
“The Act says once someone has succeeded in vetting, he or she is supposed to enjoy statutory benefits. So, when we talk of veterans of the liberation struggle, we have four categories and that is the veterans, the ex-detainees, non-combatant cadres and war collaborators. Therefore, they would be entitled to their benefits,” said Sen Mavunga.
She expressed her worry that some among those who were vetted and have not been confirmed were dying before the commencement of the mop-up exercise.
She said some went out of the country and some have died, but assured the members that as a Ministry, they have a way of assisting their beneficiaries and they were working on those modalities.
The mop-up exercise is part of the Government’s work on operationalising three Acts enacted two years ago, which seek to enhance the standard of living for war veterans, former political prisoners, detainees, restrictees, non-combatant cadres, war collaborators, heroes’ dependents and victims of war.
The three Acts include the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act (Chapter 17:12), War Victims Compensation Act (Chapter 11:16) and The National Heroes Act (Chapter 10:16.
This comes as President Mnangagwa allocated 35 mines to war veterans two years ago to empower the liberation war icons. —@nyeve14
Online Reporter