The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) has expressed relief at the sacking of Christopher Mutsvangwa describing him as a non-performer, a divisive leader and someone who consistently rejects their requests for meetings on their welfare.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa dismissed Mutsvangwa as Minister of Veterans Affairs for the Liberation Struggle on Saturday, without providing any reasons for his dismissal.
However, ZNLWVA president Andreas Ethan Mathebela said Mutsvangwa had performed poorly, both as president of the association and later as minister. He referred to it as a “hole” that needed to be removed.
Mathebela stated that instead of addressing veterans’ welfare issues, Mutsvangwa was more concerned with the politics of the opposition and its leader, Nelson Chamisa.
“We had high expectations from this appointment,” Mathebela said at the Bulawayo Media Center on Monday.
“Because there were so many issues we wanted the government to address, we assumed that us becoming Minister would have helped move things forward. We were very disappointed that instead of engaging with us, the Minister disengaged and even divided us on the Assembly chair.”
Mathebela revealed that when the Cabinet was reappointed, he wrote a congratulatory letter to Mutsvangwa and the other ministers, hoping for cooperation. However, the former Minister for Veterans ignored them.
“We wanted to collaborate and find ways to work together,” Mathebela said. “We don’t think we are special people, but history shows that we have contributed positively to changing previously marginalized Africans. We are a constituency willing to work with anyone to help this country thrive.
However, after Mutsvangwa’s appointment, he did not respond to ZNLWVA’s requests to hold a meeting and discuss their roadmap.
“Last year, during our conference, we planned what we wanted to achieve in 2024,” Mathebela said. “We wanted to engage him and other ministries to address some of the challenges faced by veterans. I contacted him personally, but he ignored my calls. I even texted him, but there was no response.”
As minister, Mutsvangwa’s role was to unite war veterans, according to Matebela. However, instead of making this “noble gesture”, he was allegedly “more focused on Chamisa”.
“Mutsvangwa was supposed to address our well-being,” Mathebela said. “Without that kind of leadership to guide us, we get anxious. It’s been 43 years, but what we’ve inherited is just a sense of freedom. True freedom isn’t just getting around without stealing; it’s having ownership of land, a home, and disposable income.”
He acknowledged that the veterans had volunteered for the armed struggle, but lamented that their “colleagues had now become greedy” and plundered Zimbabwe, a country with resources that would have made it the envy of others.
“We cautiously celebrate Mutsvangwa’s dismissal,” Mathebela said. “He couldn’t deliver. We don’t care about the reasons, but the president removed a loophole. We still believe we can lead, but there are still many potholes.
“Frankly, the president is also surrounded by people who do not mean well for our country,” he continued, offering examples of individuals who he believes benefit disproportionately from the country’s resources based on their title and region.
He wondered why veterans were fighting if young people were now fleeing the country as economic refugees, even to the former coloniser.
“It’s a sad situation,” the president said enthusiastically. “There are selfish, greedy and tribal individuals. We speak with pain because this is the reality on the ground.”
Mathebela also revealed that when Mutsvangwa was initially appointed ZNLWVA president, he unconstitutionally overstayed his term by ten years.
He wasn’t supposed to run for ten years, but he did. He did not try to explain his plans to us or even meet with us after we appointed him. “He has pursued party politics and the last we heard was when he became a special advisor to the president,” Mathebela said.
“What is most painful is that the matter continued for ten years after the end of his term. We were surprised that the appointee rewarded the non-performers in the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, but we gave him the benefit of the doubt. We are not surprised that he was dismissed because here we are, poor and worse off than we were before independence.”
Mathebela concluded by saying that his reaction reflects the feelings of many war veterans. He stated that he had received numerous calls, even from some who had previously supported Mutsvangwa, celebrating his dismissal. Site
