CHRISTOPHER MUTSVANGWA
Paida Mukono
CHIREDZI – Non-combatant ‘war veterans’ last week hailed President Robert Mugabe for making indications that he may soon take them aboard the patronage gravy train, as the frenzied jostling to put snouts in the feeding trough intensifies.
Addressing a meeting held last Saturday at Chitsanga Hall in Chiredzi, chairperson of the Non-Combatants Cadres Association (NCCA) Trycose Matirongo said his organisation was pleased that Mugabe had finally called to meet them.
He declared that the political game plan had changed in Zanu PF implying that unlike before, they were no longer substitutes in the Zanu PF patronage chess game as they were now next in line for their turn at the feeding trough.
“This is a match which used to be played with us as substitutes. We all are equal players of the team now so there is no way we cannot benefit. The President himself has said he will meet us,” Matirongo said.
“On behalf of the association, I would like to thank the President because he will meet us soon as non-combatants. We are going to benefit as all other war veterans have benefited.
“If the others did benefit from the land, we must also benefit because we are all the same. We fought for this country,” said Matirongo.
President Mugabe has recently moved to establish new alliances with former war collaborators as his fall-out with the Chris Mutsvangwa-led war veterans persists.
Hopes have since risen among the so-called collaborators that perks and privileges hitherto reserved for war veterans will soon be extended to them as well.
“We promise to stand with the party through good and bad times. We have never failed our president for he has done so many things and because he has promised to meet with us, we will keep on voting for him.
“Even if we were to go to any other political party, we would never get what Zanu PF has promised us. It’s good we all stick as one just as we were it time of war because the party made us who we are today,” Matirongo said.news
