Indaba convined to highlight plight of ZIPRA Vets Welfare!

Today, Sunday 04 November 2018 a contingent of ZPRA War Veterans, ZAPU Armed Wing of Zimbabwe Liberation Struggle descended in the City of Kings, Byo at YWCA Conference Centre for a crucial Meeting to deliberate on their Welfare since 1980 when the country attained Independence. Cdes from all ZPRA Organisations / Formations :- National, High Command, Trusts & Associations,  trooped in from the country's provinces of Matabeleland. The Meeting was organised by ZPRA Veterans Association, an affiliate of the current ZAPU led by President Dr Dumiso Dabengwa.
The Meeting discussed among other things the following, ZPRA Veterans Welfare, War Veterans Act, Vetting, Heroes Status, School Fees, Current Affairs (Status), Properties, Projects, Structures & Programmes. The Meeting was open to all concerned including ZPRA Veterans who crossed the floor to join ZANU PF (ZANLA).
A very pertinent Question was posed, "Who is a ZPRA War Veteran?" This question was explicitly clarified, that all who participated in the War of Liberation are considered including their spouse, widows & offsprings (dependents). Also included are Detainees, Restrictees, Prisoners & all those who fell in battle. This raised the Question of the current Legislation :- ZPRA War Veterans Act and its preceeding Bill yet to sail thru Parliament & Alignment of Laws with the current Constitution.
A milestone was made today as Cdes agreed to form a Committee / Taskforce comprising representatives from all current ZPRA Formations, and this Committee was given the mandate to spearhead the lobbying of all ZPRA Grievances to Govt as a matter of urgency and report back to the People.
Our local News Media was missing in today's Meeting, however the CIO was present and as protocol demand Govt has been informed. From the deliberations it became apparently clear that most ZPRA War Veterans were greatly disadvantaged during the Vetting Exercise as most were not vetted and lost out on all the Benefits, worse still with the current Economic Turmoil as they have suffered almost  38 years of depravity. Just imagine out of 17 000 ZPRA Cadres who were once assembled in different locations during the Armed Struggle, only 4 000 ZPRA Veterans were vetted and benefitted, leaving the rest in the cold. A call was made to mobilise all Cadres dead or alive,  across the country for Vetting. This is to necessitate them & their dependents alleviate their suffering thru life stress and their offsprings in their educational endeavours.
The selected Committee has to push Govt in addressing their Grievances. All the Cdes were urged to be united & work together and map the way forward so as to achieve their intended objectives. School Fees for their has been paid in Bonds into their individual bank accounts as of this week.
The Minister of War Veterans Cde Mutematanda who visited Byo two weeks ago promised that Govt was prepared to fund Projects for War Veterans, however ZPRA Veterans demanded the return of all confiscated ZAPU / ZPRA Properties and then Funding of Projects can be done on those returned Properties. So Structures in all Provinces have to be put in place for easy Co ordination on Programmes  to do with the Welfare of ZPRA Veterans. All Stakeholders will be called to come forward and brief Cadres on all Developments to do with the Welfare of ZPRA Veterans. * Check the second instalment on this Meeting tomorrow (today). #Mandla Khanye ZAPU Secretary for Information, Publicity & Marketing, Byo Province, in Southern Region.