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Innocent Mujeri Correspondent
On Friday September 9, war veterans across the country will converge in Harare to elect their 40 national leaders who will be in charge of steering that league for the next four years.
From 1980, the war veterans had to contest for party positions with other non-combatant members.
The jostling for positions have sometimes caused the war veterans to be at the peripheries of Zanu PF politics.
War veterans had to conduct their business under the banner of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, (ZNLWVA) which is an affiliate organisation of the ruling party.
However, this year the party introduced a War Veterans League as its fourth wing.
It’s a party wing for war veterans who are also party members and allows them to participate directly.
This wing will hold its first elective conference on September 9 and 10 and there are 40 positions up for grabs.
Consideration for gender will also be made so that both genders are considered for the positions.
It was commendable for the party to finally accommodate the war veterans in its structures because they are an embodiment of history and knowledge.
The wing will also afford war veterans an opportunity to make a contribution in the development of the nation, defend the country’s legacy and be able to speak to the current social activities.
War veterans who are also the inspiration of the future are the backbone of this country and without them, there would be no Zimbabwe.
It is ideal that the war veterans be accommodated within the party structures because by sacrificing their lives through going to fight the colonialist, they have protected our rights as Zimbabweans and made the dreams of our forefathers possible.
Throughout history, our veterans have put their lives on hold and at risk to protect our country.
War was not a stroll in the park but our veterans answered the call of duty and rose up to fight for liberation of the nation.
Many had to endure hunger, loss, pain, and desperation, but still they fought with a purpose, willing to give the ultimate sacrifice.
Though some are now old and frail, suffering from wartime diseases, or just trying to fit back into society, we acknowledge their service and display our gratitude as much as possible.
Incorporating them as the fourth wing of the party is thus the least we could have done to express our gratitude for their sacrifices.
Some people would ask why the war veterans should be incorporated in the party as a separate wing. Others may wonder why the war veterans cannot contest for positions in the main or women’s league wings?
The answer to that is simple.
Why should we not do everything in our power to ensure that this important constituency remains relevant in our everyday activities?
War veterans are a vital cog of the party. The ruling party, Zanu PF was born out of the blood and sweat of these sons and daughters of the soil.
It is noble that war veterans be actively involved in the management of the party because they are our history, our real life heroes and heroines and our models for the nation.
It is important for war veterans to be actively involved in the affairs of the party because they represent the national focus, national scale and national scope, that is; the insistence that Zimbabwe is too small to subdivide any further.
Veterans of the liberation struggle at their best represent national unity.
These sons and daughters are the ones who learnt the hard way; the practical way that we were not fighting for our villages, our tribes or families or our individual benefits alone, but for the whole nation and everyone and everything in it.
The formation of the War Veterans League is therefore a very welcome development.
As a country, we should not tire of celebrating our war veterans for the role they played in liberating our country from the yoke of colonialism.
As we work towards achieving the national Vision 2030, of an upper-middle income economy and building our country brick-by-brick, one of the major obstacles in our way is the colonial mentality.
The war veterans therefore have a huge task of imparting the spirit of patriotism on new party members and the generality of Zimbabweans.
War veterans cannot do that when they are in the peripheries of the party. This is why it is important to include them as the fourth wing of the party.
In countries such as America and Britain, war veterans are held in high esteem and are highly respected.
The West has a rich and varied legacy of war veterans who continue to work and assist their governments to further political, social and economic agendas.
They are honoured and adored by all because of the role they played in the liberation and development of those countries.
We should do the same here and start to respect and honour our war veterans.
Institutions like the War Veterans League will surely help us get rid of the colonial mentality from some of our people.
This war veteran’s wing will play a key role in reminding people, time-and-again, that the liberation war defeated the white man.
It must constantly remind people that the white man is gone and that he is not coming back to recolonise us again.
Most importantly, it must remind the people that the white man never did good things for the black man in the past and will not be doing so this time around.
Our war veterans bring unique perspectives and important experiences as well as knowledge to a whole lot of issues. These men and women are perfectly suited to counter the evil machinations of the West.
As the inaugural War Veterans League conference approaches, I applaud Zanu PF for finally acknowledging and recognising the importance of these men and women.
This new wing will no doubt lead to the emphatic electoral win of the ruling Zanu PF next year.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter