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Herald Reporter
The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association will hold its congress this weekend in Masvingo where new leadership should be elected.
Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, the association’s interim chairperson Cde Patrick Nyaruwata said the Jabulani Sibanda executive had failed to hold congress since 2003.
Sibanda was removed from office a fortnight ago through a vote of no confidence.
Cde Nyaruwata said the congress would be held at Great Zimbabwe Hotel in Masvingo between November 15 and 16.
“In terms of the ZNWLA constitution section 8(a), the national executive committee shall convene a conference of the association every three years, something that the current executive failed to do. The last general congress was held in 2003 in Mutare.
“Since then, no election was conducted. It is against this background that an elective congress be held on the date and venue mentioned above,” said Cde Nyaruwata.
He said in terms of their constitution, the congress should be supervised by their parent ministry, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Services which governs voluntary organisations such as that of war veterans.
“When we say we last had a congress in 2003, we mean a congress that is supervised by the relevant ministries, that is, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. So all other meetings were not congresses because they were held under a tree, or they would just park buses, they were all fake.
“They were done outside the law because the relevant ministries were not there,” said Cde Nyaruwata.
He said 40 delegates would come from each province.
Buses would be deployed to carry delegates to Masvingo.
Cde Nyaruwata said they wanted over 2 000 delegates to attend but failed because of resource constraints.
They have since compiled 400 names.
Another member of the interim committee, Cde Joseph Chinotimba, said war veterans should not listen to people who were moving around saying there was no congress this week.
“The election is on. All those that are telling people to the contrary are insane. Do not listen to them,” said Cde Chinotimba.
Cde Sibanda came under fire from fellow war veterans after he failed to attend even a single meeting of First Lady Dr Amai Grace Mugabe’s oversubscribed “Meet the People” tours held in all the 10 provinces.
He is also accused of disrespecting President Mugabe, who is the patron of the war veterans association, and First Lady Amai Mugabe by implying that they had initiated a “bedroom coup” on Vice President Joice Mujuru.
Cde Sibanda threatened to march to State House in a manner reminiscent of MDC-T leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s failed “final push”.
Online Reporter