TellZim Reporter
War veterans in Masvingo province are demanding the return of Didymus Mutasa, Rugare Gumbo, Jabulani Sibanda, Claudious Makova and Kudakwashe Bhasikiti among others back to Zanu PF.
Speaking at a meeting held at Masvingo Polytechnic College last Saturday, the war veterans unanimously agreed that it was high time Zanu PF allowed former party bigwigs to re- join the ruling party ahead of 2018 harmonised elections.
Secretary for war veterans in the politburo Victor Matemadanda, while presiding over the meeting, assured war veterans in attendance that he was going to lobby the party leadership so that they re-admit the former party big wigs whom he said were unfairly dismissed from the Zanu PF.
“I will take your plea to the politburo, I will make sure that your voices are heard and these comrades are allowed to re-join the party,” said Matemadanda.
Matemadanda encouraged the war veterans to seek public offices in the upcoming elections, saying people without liberation war credentials were leading Zanu PF astray.
“It’s your time comrades, take those positions from councillors to MPs. Don’t allow people without liberation war credentials to take those leadership positions – we know that you are capable leaders. I want to see you in parliament and in councils,” said Matemadanda.
Matemadanda took time to castigate former President Robert Mugabe whom he said was worse than Ian Smith, the last Rhodesian Prime Minister.
Less than 24 hours later, however, Bhasikiti attended the MDC Alliance rally in Gweru where he castigated Zanu PF and vowed never to vote for the ruling party again.
War Vets question Matemadanda’s sanity
War veterans who gathered for their provincial meeting at Masvingo Poly last Saturday questioned their representative in the politburo Victor Matemadanda’s sanity after he reconvened the meeting in order to speak in front of ZBC cameras.
The ZBC news crew arrived after the meeting was over. Upon realising that the ZBC news crew had arrived, Matemadanda called the house to order once again and started the deliberations for the second time just to accommodate the ZBC cameras.
War veterans who came from far away districts such as Mwenezi did not take Matemadanda’s move lightly.
“This is madness, how can he do this when he knows that we have a long journey going back home. Some of us are going to use Masvingo-Beitbridge highway which is very dangerous after this meeting,” war veterans could be heard saying as Matemadanda addressed them for the second time.
He literally repeated what he had said before the ZBC TV news crew had arrived.
Some said Matemadanda could have just summarised what happened in the meeting as a side interview to ZBC rather than re-starting the whole process just for the love of appearing on TV.
