adminGeorge Maponga Masvingo Bureau
THE Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association has warned some senior Zanu-PF officials accused of interfering in the affairs of the freedom fighters’ body for their own selfish ends to desist from doing so. The organisation’s secretary-general Cde Victor Matemadanda threatened to expose the unnamed officials if they continued with the interference.
Speaking in Masvingo over the weekend at a function where Great Zimbabwe University lecturer Cde Tendekai Chinooneka was appointed Masvingo war veterans provincial chairman after the calling off of elections for the post, Cde Matemadanda said politicians should steer clear of war veterans’ affairs.
He said some Zanu-PF Politburo members wanted to influence developments within the war veterans association, a development he said was unacceptable.
“I want to make it clear that as war veterans we are disturbed by what some senior Zanu-PF Politburo members are doing to the war veterans association,” he said.
“We are quite disturbed that some senior officials who I cannot not name now have been relentless interfering in the affairs of war veterans. The officials in question have actually been using money to try and influence developments within the war veterans association, but we want to tell them that enough is enough, if they continue doing that we will be left with no option except to name and shame them.’’
Cde Matemadanda said only war veterans had the right to choose who should lead them, adding that a lot of money has been changing hands in a bid to influence the outcome of the ongoing election of new leaders for war veterans across the country.
Turning to elections to choose the new provincial chairman for war veterans in Masvingo, Cde Matemadanda said they
were cancelled after the “gamatox” elements poured money to influence the outcome of the elections.
Gamatox refers to a cabal that was supporting expelled and former Vice President Joice Mujuru in a bid to unconstitutionally remove President Mugabe.
The elections were set for a re-run after Cdes Charles Muchena and William Zhou emerged deadlocked at 20 votes apiece in an earlier poll for the provincial chairmanship.
“We cancelled the elections and appointed a new leader because we noticed that there were many anomalies
that were occurring in the run up to the poll,” said Cde Matemadanda.
“Some Gamatox elements actually tried to influence the outcome of the election by pouring money and we had to stop the whole process and appoint a new leader until the next elections.’’
Cde Chinooneka took over from Cde Muchena whose term of office had come to an end.
Online Reporter