Zim war vets offered land
Zim war vets offered land

Zim war vets offered land

Yanna Smith
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is promising to give more land to the country's former freedom fighters, telling those who have not yet benefitted from his land programme to “indicate” which farms they prefer, ahead of the 2018 elections.

War collaborators, former political detainees and restrictees are also set to benefit.

Critics are adamant the Zanu-PF strongman faces his most defining moment next year, as his party is ravaged by factionalism over uncertainty on who will succeed him.

Zimbabwe polls are tentatively due in July 2018 but information obtained by News24 suggests Mugabe is already “oiling” his election campaign machinations amid concerns by the opposition the nonagenarian intends “stealing” yet another vote, as he seeks a fifth term at the helm of the republic.

In seeking to curry favour with the grumbling veterans of the country's war of liberation from colonial Britain, Mugabe's ministry in charge of the freedom fighters has written a notice alerting them he is addressing their grievances - top among them parcelling out farms at provinces of their choice for those who have not benefitted from his controversial land redistribution programme.

Mugabe, who turned 93 last month, met the veterans last year amid complaints some of their lot failed to benefit from his controversial land reforms. They also complained they were being discriminated against in the allocation of residential and commercial plots.

“During their epic meetings with the President, veterans generally complained of being dispossessed of their allocated lands, be they agricultural, urban or peri-urban, under various unjustifiable pretexts,” reads part of the notice to the veterans dispatched on 11 March 2017 by Tshinga Dube, the Minster responsible for war veterans.

The veterans who had been offered farms but failed to settle on the properties are required to name the farms, and bring copies of offer letters. Those threatened off the land or issued with withdrawal notices or court action or if court action is under way, must submit supporting documents to that effect. These stated requirements, officials say, would aid Mugabe to reverse such actions or ensure they get the farms.

“Veterans of the liberation struggle who have not yet been allocated are urged to submit their names, indicating their provinces,” added Dube in the notice to the veterans.

But critics say these are election sweetners as Mugabe moves to placate the veterans who have been his mainstay in power since the advent of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) ahead of polls.

Opposition politician and human rights lawyer David Coltart believes Mugabe maybe “activating” the war veterans ahead of the crunch polls in which he is likely to face a grand opposition coalition. Coltart says, however, that another possibility is that Mugabe is trying to head off Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa's threat by ingratiating himself with war veterans.

“One of Mugabe's biggest headaches as he moves towards the 2018 elections is that the majority of war veterans no longer support his candidacy. He is desperate to rectify that - hence this advertisement,” says Coltart.

Political analyst Rick Mukonza concurs, adding that Mugabe knows he has the odds stuck against him in the upcoming 2018 elections. “He knows the economic situation of the country continues to deteriorate and there is no solution in sight. Substantially, therefore, he has nothing to campaign with, the indigenisation and land redistribution mantra has passed its sell-by date and people want food on the table. Mugabe has lost some important and key allies such as the war vets, add to that the splits within Zanu-PF. As if that is not enough, there is the prospective coalition between Tsvangirai, Mujuru and others. All these militate against his victory in 2018,” said Mukonza.

NEWS24

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Namibian Sun 2024-03-28

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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 212.07/OZ UP +0.97% | Copper US$ 3.98/lb DOWN -0.0008 | Zinc US$ 2 446.40/T DOWN -0.41% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 86.78/BBP UP +0.45% | Platinum US$ 898.23/OZ UP +0.37%