adminDumisani Sibanda Sunday News Correspondent
PRESIDENT Mugabe has agreed to meet liberation war ex-political prisoners, detainees and restrictees and modalities for the date and venue are already being worked out, a Cabinet Minister has said. In an interview in Bulawayo recently, the Minister for Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators and Ex-Political Detainees and Restrictees, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube, said the meeting will follow another successful one when the President met liberation war veterans in Harare last month.
“Preparing for the meeting between President Mugabe and war veterans was a lot of hard work but we are happy it went well and the President has agreed to have a separate meeting with liberation war ex-political detainees and restrictees,” he said. “That is what we are working on. Basically it will be looking at issues of welfare. Addressing issues to do with poverty within the group.”
However, Rtd Col Dube said, the date for the meeting has not been set. “The President wants to meet them but the date has not been set,” he said.
The historic meeting between the Zanu-PF leader and President Mugabe who is also the patron of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association and the war veterans was held last month and addressed issues to do with the welfare of the former freedom fighters.
About 10 000 war veterans attended the meeting held at the City Sports Centre in Harare but liberation war detainees, restrictees and collaborators were not part of the gathering.
Liberation war detainees and restrictees, are defined as those people who were imprisoned or restricted in Zimbabwe for a period of at least six months for political activity in connection with the bringing about Zimbabwe’s Independence.
The meeting President Mugabe held with war veterans was so successful that the veteran politician said it should be held every year. As part of the outcomes of the meeting was an agreement for Government to expedite benefits meant for the former freedom fighters. War veterans are entitled to pensions, education fees, medical support, funeral cover, loans and subsistence benefits. About two weeks ago, the Government announced that it was disbursing $2 million to schools countrywide for 8 300 applications it processed for war veterans’ children and their beneficiaries.
Online Reporter