Zapu and the Zimbabwe Liberators’ Peace Forum (ZLPF) have described the government’s failure to cater for the welfare of families of deceased former freedom fighters as a serious anomaly that needs to be addressed urgently.
In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, ZLPF spokesperson Max Mkandla said his organisation was irked by recent media reports that the family of the late Zanla commander Josiah Tongogara had been denied benefits under the War Veterans Act of 1997 because Tongogara died before he was vetted.
“We are angry when we hear that the family of Josiah Tongogara are not benefiting from this so-called fund because he was not vetted at the time of the vetting exercise in 1997,” Mkandla said. Zapu youth leader Mqondisi Moyo described the War Veterans Act as archaic, saying it needed an overhaul.
“It is disturbing to read in the media that the family of Josiah Tongogara and other fallen heroes who died before 1997 are not benefiting because they were not physically vetted in 1997. As Zapu, we believe that to deny these families the opportunity to get benefits that are being enjoyed by the living war veterans is unfair. They also played a role in the struggle for independence,” he said.
Director of War Veterans’ Affairs in the Ministry of Defence, Retired Major General Richard Ruwodo recently told Parliament that families of former war cadres who died before 1997 were not entitled to any benefits from the war veterans’ funds because they were not physically present to prove they fought during the country’s liberation war.
The War Veterans Act provides for gratuities, settlement, loans and educational, medical and funeral benefits to former freedom fighters vetted in 1997 and their immediate family members.
