ZIMBABWE National Liberation War Veterans’ Association leader Jabulani Sibanda has threatened to mobilise former freedom fighters to march to State House “in a few days’ time” for a “crucial” meeting with their patron, President Robert Mugabe.
MOSES MATENGA/OBEY MANAYITI
Addressing Zanu PF supporters and war veterans in Mutasa district on Monday, Sibanda claimed efforts to meet Mugabe to air their grievances on issues affecting their welfare and Zanu PF had been blocked by top party officials he declined to name.
Sibanda was addressing Zanu PF members gathered at Matumba Six Mine for the reburial of the remains of 85 freedom fighters discovered in a disused mineshaft. Vice-President Joice Mujuru, who of late has been object of unbridled verbal attacks by First Lady Grace Mugabe, had initially been scheduled to officiate at the event before it was abruptly postponed.
The planned war veterans’ march comes at a time Zanu PF is locked in serious infighting ahead of its December elective congress, with Grace viciously attacking Mujuru and ordering her to resign for allegedly plotting to topple Mugabe.
Sibanda, who has vowed to defend the country from a “bedroom or boardroom coup”, in apparent reference to Grace’s unrestrained attacks on the Vice-President, yesterday said he would announce detailed plans about the march today.
Manicaland provincial war veterans’ leader Linda Mathathu, however, said the march should not be perceived as a protest against Mugabe.
“Comrades want to go and see the President. It’s unfortunate that people think it’s a demonstration,” Mathathu said.
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“We are marching to go and see Baba [President] and when Baba sees us marching to him, he will come to meet us. People are taking it wrongly that we are protesting against the President. We have nothing to demonstrate against him.”
When asked as to who was preventing them from seeing the President and the agenda of the meeting, Mathathu said that was for the national leaders who were organising the march to respond to.
But former war veterans’ leader and Buhera South MP Joseph Chinotimba (Zanu PF) yesterday dismissed the planned march saying that he would mobilise war veterans against the move.
“That’s nonsense. If he (Sibanda) doesn’t like someone, it’s up to him to say ‘I don’t like someone’. It’s like an MDC-T member saying he doesn’t like President Mugabe, you can’t take action against that person. If he doesn’t like Amai Mugabe, there is no comment I can make because he doesn’t like her,” Chinotimba said.
He said Sibanda was “not even in party structures, not even in the cell and, therefore, he can’t even talk about party structures”.
“He is just a leader of an NGO (non-governmental organisation) like your own ZUJ (Zimbabwe Union of Journalists). Do you know ZUJ? Can you say those (ZUJ) people have positions in your offices? You can’t say I have a position in Zanu PF because I am a member of ZUJ. He is not in Zanu PF structures, he can be in Zanu PF, but he is not a leader,” Chinotimba said.
He said the war veterans’ association would organise a march against Sibanda if he continued with his plans to go to State House.
“If you attack Baba’s wife, you would also have attacked Baba. The comrades are angry because he attacked Baba’s wife. He is dreaming about the march,” Chinotimba said.
“If he goes ahead with his march, we will then conclude that he is an MDC-T person and we will discipline him.”
The last time former fighters staged a procession was in 2007 during the so-called “Million Man March” spearheaded by Sibanda through the streets of Harare in support of Mugabe.
Prior to that, they had stormed State House in 1997 demanding compensation from government for the sacrifices they made during the armed struggle. Government eventually gave in to their demands and awarded them a then hefty ZW$50 000 each, a development which shook the stock market and sent the local currency crashing.
Meanwhile, the Zanu PF politburo meets today where Women’s League outgoing boss Oppah Muchinguri is expected to present a report on Grace’s controversial rallies.
Other issues likely to come up include Mashonaland West provincial chairperson Temba Mliswa’s disciplinary case and congress preparations.
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said yesterday: “It’s (politburo meeting) on tomorrow (today) and we will receive a report from Muchinguri on the countrywide tours with Amai and fine-tuning our congress preparations.”
There were reports last night that some Zanu PF youths in Harare were planning a demonstration against Mujuru ahead of the politburo meeting.
