TWENTY-NINE soldiers in Masvingo have clashed with war veterans over a multi-million-dollar housing scheme which the army members reportedly want to wrestle from the former liberation war fighters. OWN CORRESPONDENT
The matter has spilled into the civil courts. In court papers seen by NewsDay under case number 229/13, the soldiers have dragged Zimbabwe Ex-Combatants Fund (Zexcom) Masvingo chapter leader Getrude Gutsa to the civil court seeking to take charge of the projects and block her from accessing the housing scheme’s bank accounts.
They are also seeking to outrightly oust her from the project with more than 450 beneficiaries. The housing project, kick-started in 1998 by the ex-combatants after receiving
Z$50 000 each as liberation war gratuities, is based on Victoria Ranch on the outskirts of Masvingo town. The soldiers are the applicants in the matter which was initially heard by magistrate Jabulani Mzinyathi on March 1.
In their court application, the soldiers accuse the ex-fighters of failing to represent them in the project.
However, in her opposing papers, Gutsa accuses the soldiers of trying to hijack the housing project and leave her exposed to hundreds of beneficiaries, some of whom were civilians.
Mzinyathi is set to give a ruling on March 28.
