Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Chronicle Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Liberation War Collaborators (Ziliwaco) has pledged support for President Mnangagwa in next year’s harmonised elections with its leadership urging members to go out and mobilise votes for the ruling Zanu-PF party.
Ziliwaco has engaged in a voter mass mobilisation campaign titled “Ziliwaco for ED #mass mobilisation for 2023 harmonised elections.
Addressing Ziliwaco members from Matabeleland South province during a meeting in Gwanda on Sunday, the organisation’s vice-chairperson, Cde Josephine Gandiya said the Zanu-PF led Government under the leadership President Mnangagwa has shown that it has the interest of war collaborators at heart. She said Ziliwaco members had a huge role to play to ensure that the Zanu-PF party stayed in power and attained five million votes.
“As Ziliwaco we have started a mobilisation programme campaign and so far we have moved across eight provinces in order to bring members on board. The purpose of this programme is to ensure that the Zanu-PF party stays in power. As Ziliwaco members we have a role to play to ensure that we reach five million votes,” she said.
“Before we start mobilising people outside let’s start with the people within our households and our relatives. Let’s bring them on board so that we may have their support. There is no party that recognises our value as war collaborators like the Zanu-PF party. During the liberation struggle we defended the country with guns and now we have to defend it with our votes so that our liberation gains are not lost.”
She urged Ziliwaco members and members within the Zanu-PF party structure to ensure that they were registered to vote and had necessary documentation that would enable them to vote.
Cde Gandiya said party members had to desist from just chanting about five million votes but work towards ensuring that they were attained. She said they made frantic efforts to get Government under the First Republic to look into their welfare without luck.
Cde Gandiya said with just a few years being in power President Mnangagwa had made significant efforts to recognise war collaborators.
“We started this association in 1996 under the previous dispensation but nothing was done to improve or address our welfare. It wasn’t easy under the previous dispensation and we tried several times to have the issues addressed but there were many ups and downs,” said Cde Gandiya.
“For the past years we kept getting promises that we will be vetted. With less than five years of coming into power President Mnangagwa has made it possible for you as chimbwidos and mujibhas to be vetted and soon you will be receiving your allowances. This wouldn’t have been possible if another leader was in power.”
Cde Gandiya said the vetting exercise had come to and end but as the Ziliwaco leadership they were in the process on engaging the Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri to ensure that the programme was extended.
She said 204 000 members had registered across the country but 165 000 were vetted leaving an outstanding 41 000.
Also speaking during the same meeting Ziliwaco secretary-general Cde Shine Chakanyuka said war collaborators that were not vetted had to ensure that they registered their names in preparation for the next vetting exercise whose dates would be announced soon. He said members would be expected to state reasons why they had missed out on the initial vetting exercise.
Cde Chakanyuka said war collaborators have remained loyal to the Zanu-PF party even up to now and they would continue defending the party.
“As Ziliwaco we have always been known to work together with the party and now we have to accelerate our efforts as the elections are drawing nearer. We want the Zanu-PF party to win resoundingly and as Ziliwaco we should be identified as having contributed significantly towards this victory,” he said.
Matabeleland South Zanu-PF political commissar, Cde Washington Nkomo said the party was pleased to see the support and commitment that was coming from Ziliwaco. He said war collaborators have also shown full support for the youth.
Matabeleland South province Ziliwaco trust chairperson, Cde Trust Moyo pledged full support for President Mnangagwa. He said the trust will work hard to ensure the party’s victory. Cde Moyo said the trust was a strong campaigning arm for the party. — @DubeMatutu
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Londile Moyo