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The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) recently held its elective Congress in Gweru, where a new executive led by Cde Cephas Ncube was elected. Zimpapers Politics Hub senior reporter Joseph Madzimure spoke with the newly elected ZNLWVA chairperson, Cde cephas ncube, on several issues affecting war veterans and what the future holds for the association.
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Q: Congratulations on being elected chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association …
A: Thank you so much. I want to first thank all the comrades who voted for me. I am happy with the trust that has been bestowed on me by my fellow comrades, and I promise to work very hard with everyone as we take our association forward. I will soon be engaging everyone so that we remain as vibrant as before as an association, advocating for our welfare.
Q: Can you give us your brief profile?.
A: I was born in a family of two boys and joined the armed struggle in the early 1970s. I trained in various countries and later came back home after the ceasefire and joined the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA). I served in the ZNA in various units, where I retired in 1995.
After retirement, I joined the private sector and worked for different companies in different capacities.
During the formation of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, I joined the association and rose through the ranks up to the current position.
Q: How do you feel after winning the elections resoundingly against senior cadres like ZANU PF Politburo member Cde Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa and Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique Cde Victor Matemadanda?
A: I am elated to be entrusted to lead the association, and I promise to represent all the war stalwarts. It’s a relay; I took over from my colleague Ambassador Mutsvangwa, who also took over the chairmanship position from Cde Jabulani Sibanda, hence it is the association’s constitutional mandate to hold elections every five years.
Q: What are you going to do to ensure the aspirations of the war veterans are realised?
A: There is nothing new to talk about. War veterans are facing several challenges, including inadequate housing, healthcare and economic empowerment. As we are growing older, we need to push for initiatives to promote screening and early detection of non-communicable diseases, improved access to healthcare services and provision of dignified burials for deceased veterans.
We are appealing to the Government to ensure specialist facilities are put in place to ensure veterans have timeous access to healthcare services without having to endure the bureaucratic processes that are associated with the current health assistance scheme.
We will also engage with education ministries to ensure no student is turned away from school.
We are also going to ensure that no veteran is laid to rest without the respect, honour and dignity they deserve, and we are committed to advocating for a funeral grant that reflects this principle.
Q: I understand war veterans have some assets in the form of companies. Can you shed light on that?
A: As a form of economic empowerment, our ministry is administering two special purpose vehicles — the Veterans Investment Corporation and Power Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd. The primary objective of establishing these companies was to bolster the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Fund, from which the empowerment benefits will be disbursed to the veterans.
Q: There are some reports that farms belonging to war veterans are being downsized by some corrupt land officers. Can you confirm?
A: Thank you very much for bringing in the subject, which is a major concern to our members and their children. On Thursday last week (a fortnight ago), we held a meeting with the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka. He talked a lot about the corrupt land officers and assured us that he is going to take action.
This message has been communicated to our members so that they submit their challenges relating to their farms through a WhatsApp number administered by Minister Masuka directly. We are aware that land officers are taking advantage of our age, forgetting that we were the ones at the forefront of the fight for land ownership.
The major drive to join the liberation struggle was the issue of land and its resources. We fought the enemy, sacrificing our lives because of land.
I understand our ministry is also engaging Minister Masuka to ensure issues to do with land allocation and tenure challenges are addressed.
We are also pushing for our members to have access to mining claims.
We also want the relevant ministry to document the history of the liberation struggle and establish a dedicated department for this purpose.
Online Reporter