War veterans storm Biti’s office

Tendai Biti’s office demanding a review of their monthly pension payouts.
The war veterans accused Minister Biti of incompetence and presiding over the demise of the economy.

They also called for his immediate resignation.
The war veterans, who came from various places countrywide, also casti­gated the minister for failing to priori­tise the civil servants’ salaries and work­ing conditions.

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association Harare Province commissar Cde Rai Gwenyambira, said they were asking for modest pen­sion payouts in tandem with the poverty datum line.
Three months ago, she said, Minis­ter Biti agreed to address their plight, but failed.
Cde Rai said to date the former free­dom fighters had not received any­thing from Treasury.

“We petitioned him three months ago and we thought he would do some­thing as he promised, but we are still struggling to make ends meet,” she said.
“Enough is enough and the fact that he has failed means he has to leave office as a matter of urgency.”
Most war veterans are getting US$130 as a monthly pension payout while the poverty datum line is US$596.

Cde Gwenyambira said the money was not enough to meet their demands.
“This is not enough to meet our costs which include rent, school fees and medication. We need all those issues to be addressed,” she said.
The former liberation war fighters, including the disabled, sang revolution­ary songs and waved plac­ards denouncing Minister Biti.
Some of the placards read: “Presi­dent Mugabe Zimbabwe needs a new Finance Minister”, “Biti has failed and must go” and “You have refused to pay farmers — You must leave office.”

The war veterans said they would sleep over at the minister’s office until he addressed them.
ZNLWVA secretary for lands Cde Isso Madzivanyika said their children were being sent away from school for non-payment of fees.
“There is nowhere we can get money except from Treasury. Our children are no longer going to school as we are fail­ing to pay their fees,” he said.
Most of the war veterans, he said, were farmers and Minister Biti was not releasing funds for the grain they deliv­ered to the Grain Marketing Board.

“These are the same people suffering because the funds are not there. He has refused to support the country’s agricul­ture yet this is a sector that drives our economy,” he said.

Those injured during the liberation struggle, Cde Madzivanyika said, were not getting anything.
“We are not leaving this place until he addresses us. If it means sleeping over here then let it be. Most of us are farm­ers and we survive on that and when we deliver grain to GMB we expect Trea­sury to pay us on time.

“We are failing to plan for the forth­coming season because there is no money to do so,” he said.
Minister Biti was also accused of try­ing to perpetuate civil servants misery as part of a wider plot of effecting ille­gal regime change.
The minister was not available for comment yesterday as he was said to be attending a Cabinet meeting.

Minister Biti is on record saying Gov­ernment has no money to increase civil servants salaries.