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Sunday News Reporter
THE Minister of War Veterans, War Collaborators, Ex-Political Detainees and Restrictees, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube has accused a senior politician from Bulawayo of working closely with war veteran Cde George Mlala to destroy the province as they are fond of demanding bribes from businesspeople.
Rtd Col Dube said some of the businesspeople were involved in serious crimes like drug dealing and human trafficking.
Of late Cde Mlala and Rtd Col Dube have been involved in verbal public spats over issues surrounding war veterans and corruption. Rtd Col Dube told Sunday News that Cde Mlala has allegedly been going around the city demanding money from businesspeople who are of Asian origin as “protection fee.” Cde Mlala has since threatened to take Rtd Col Dube to court over the allegations.
“I did that deliberately so that I can expose his (Mlala) corrupt tendencies in public. He was so embarrassed, so he said he will take me to court. But I said that I want you to take me to court so that I can tell people who you are. Mlala has been so corrupt. They have destroyed the province, akusela province lapha, this Bulawayo Province. There is nothing because of these Mlalas and (politician named),” he said.
Problems between Cde Mlala and Rtd Col Dube emanated from accusations that the minister was siding with war veterans leader Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa.
“Mutsvangwa is not my friend, he is just a colleague, like all the other comrades, it’s not that I recognise him, he is not my friend, but I am following the constitution. All what I am saying is that if you want to remove Mutsvangwa go to the people,” said Rtd Col Dube.
“Mlala has been angered by this, he feels that I am taking sides, obviously I am but not because I like him but it is the right thing to do. I don’t even know some of the people in Mutsvangwa’s executive and I only meet them when we are having meetings.”
Rtd Col Dube added that Cde Mlala and Cde Mandiitawepi Chimene have been trying hard to authenticate their leadership but many war veterans were not interested.
“How can just two people come up and say I am chair and I am now deputy because even the President (Mugabe) does not do that. That is why he is campaigning. He has to be voted for by the people. Even the court has ruled against them. It shows the level of their training, if they were well trained soldiers in the first place, they would have been disciplined. Everybody doubts their initial training when they went to war. But I don’t want to get into that.”
Online Reporter