Chronicle Editor
Joseph Madzimure, Harare Bureau
THE much anticipated elective congress of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) will see three candidates – Cde Victor Matemadanda, Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa and Cde Joel Mureremba – battling it out for the association’s top post.
The congress is set for July 12.
The last congress was held in 2013 in Masvingo where Cde Mutsvangwa and his executive were elected to lead the association.
Cde Mutsvangwa, the Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, is the outgoing association chair while Cde Matemadanda previously served as the secretary general of the association.
Cde Matemadanda is currently Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique and was formerly Deputy Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs.
Cde Mureremba, the outgoing political commissar of the association, said once elected, he would call for the total empowerment of war veterans through access to land and minerals.
“We will ensure that war veterans have access to land as a form of empowerment. We will empower veterans and marginalised communities through educational programmes, skills training and specific economic programmes reaching out to all our members in the spirit of leaving no one behind,” said Cde Mureremba.
He said the country was endowed with vast God-given resources to guarantee a decent standard of living for all war veterans.
“We will push to ensure war veterans have a shareholding in mining companies in their areas,” said Cde Mureremba.
Cde Matemadanda pledged to honour the sacrifices of fallen comrades and ensure that their contribution to the country’s freedom was never forgotten.
“I guarantee the documentation and preservation of the history of our struggle and the memorialisation of the general and specific contributions of our cadres through the erection of monuments in their honour,” said Cde Matemadanda.
He also pledged to push for the continued identification of all places of mass and solitary interment of fallen heroes within and outside the country’s borders by making sure that they were marked, spruced up and regularly maintained.
He also promised to advance Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and pan Africanism.
Cde Mutsvangwa, who is seeking re-election, said he was waiting for secondment from the party leadership to contest for the position.
“I want to continue to fulfil some of the resolutions made during the 2013 elective congress. In the previous election, I was deployed by the party to contest for the chairmanship.
“I want to complete some of the projects which we initiated as war veterans. Some of the projects taking shape across the country are products of the resolutions made at our congress in Masvingo,” he said.
Cde Mutsvangwa said during the 2013 congress, war veterans resolved that the operations of small scale gold miners be formalised to increase gold production in the country.
“We also called for the introduction of our own currency backed by gold to tame inflation. We also resolved that the country needed to venture into steel production to boost its economy. This is what is happening across the country,” he said.
Cde Mutsvangwa also promised to ensure war veterans had access to land, gold mines and be shareholders in a number of projects.
Zanu-PF Secretary for War Veterans, Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees, Cde Douglas Mahiya, last week announced the date for the congress.
The congress’ electoral college will comprise newly-elected provincial executives and five members from each administrative district.
Online Reporter