The Sunday Mail
The Sharp Shooter Vukhani Madoda
For close to half-a-century, Zimbabwe’s veterans of the war of liberation have been under the guidance, direction and protection of Zanu-PF and President Mugabe. But last Thursday, a putchist cabal linked to Chris Mutsvangwa clumsily chose to bite the hand that feeds it. In their lengthy communique littered with the kind of verbosity typical of expelled Zanu-PF Politburo member Mutsvangwa, who clings on as war veterans leader, is certainly treasonous.
Among the several “issues” they mentioned in their communique was the absurd claim that only President Mugabe had benefited from the victory of the war of liberation, and yet people like Mutsvangwa live opulent lives and hobnob with the likes of CIA spy Eric Little.
The few people behind that ill-written communique are simply greedy misfits who must have gone to war for all the wrong reasons and have a false sense of entitlement. These guys hiding under the guise of ZNLWA are mercenaries who plot chaos for our country.
They now want to hold President Mugabe and the ruling Zanu-PF at ransom because they are materialistic and gluttonous and want more and more and more in spite of everything that they have been given since 1980.
War vets need to be reminded that the enemy is not President Mugabe. The real enemy is still out there waiting for an opportunity like this one where a semblance of division will ignite a backlash that they have never seen before; and if they continue in their misguided ways there will soon be weeping and gnashing of teeth in their rank and file in spite of President Mugabe and not because of him.
The real enemy has infiltrated them such that they have lost focus as to the cause and effect of their own action.
Clearly, in this war against enemies both foreign and domestic, some war vets have lost the plot. They have allowed themselves to be drawn in by the enemy and they will soon be conquered and their legacy of having liberated this country from the shackles of colonialism and imperialists will wither and transform into a terrible betrayal.
Instead of being remembered as the heroes of our time, if these war vets continue to be blindly led by the rage and sour grapes of Mutsvangwa, the next generation will forget all the victories that they won.
Now is not the time for the war vets to think and feel like MDC-T or act like Tajamuka or Evan Mawarire.
It certainly is not the time for bona fide war vets to join the bandwagon of protestors against President Mugabe and the ruling Zanu-PF.
War vets should rise above being swayed by petty trumpeting of sponsored protestors. They should, like they have always done in the past, think long-term and not short-term.
If they genuinely went to war to liberate this country from oppressors, then it is that very sacrifice which motivated them in the very first place which should also motivate them now because our enemies have breached our borders and are right here in our midst, waiting for the right time to be our oppressors yet again.
A few months ago, in this very column, I urged war vets to listen to their patron because he is the voice of reason.
I will repeat that here.
While we enjoy the sacrifices that were made by our war veterans, they should be able to draw the line in respect of their claim to privileges and self-aggrandisement and upholding the national interest.
As elders, war vets should let reason prevail over emotion and realise that it is now their responsibility to shun self-serving missions. Make no mistake, numbers don’t lie. Zanu-PF is alive and well as shown by the thousands who marched in support of President Mugabe last week.
Again, make no mistake, Zanu-PF will move to swiftly curtail any misguided ambitions which some ill-advised war veterans have been blindly pushing. There is one centre of power in Zimbabwe and Zanu-PF, and the people have overwhelmingly and consistently shown that the centre of power is President Mugabe.
It is the people who provided food, refuge and information for our war veterans to win the war. While an estimated 30 000 war veterans lost their lives during the second Chimurenga, it is the people that ensured that the war veterans who live today survive to tell the tale.
But the people never guaranteed that the war vets can do as they please after Independence. Like I said, make no mistake, the people’s party, Zanu-PF, is alive and well and will take care of its enemies in the best way they have always know how and that is through the ballot not the bullet.
Dubulaizitha!
