A faction of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) is concerned that some of their colleagues are planning to turn the organization into a political party to challenge ZANU PF in future elections.
There are fears that events inspired the war veterans in South Africa where former president Jacob Zuma formed the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party) which contested the 29 May general elections and denied the ruling African National Congress (ANC) a governing majority.
As reported by The Standard, a faction of the ZNLWA has been secretly plotting to form a new political party after President Emmerson Mnangagwa allegedly revealed his intentions to extend his mandate beyond the two-term constitutional limit.
The faction, led by Moffat Marashwa, last week walked out of a meeting held in Harare on Monday to discuss various issues affecting ex-combatants, saying the meeting was being used to prepare for the formation of an opposition party.
The meeting was co-chaired by War Veterans Minister Monica Mavhunga and acting Public Service Minister Lovemore Matuke.
National executive members of another faction of the ZNLWVA such as Andrease Mathibela, Dadirai Gijimana, and Edward Dube, also attended the meeting, as well as Douglas Mahiya, who is the ZANU PF War Veterans League national secretary in the politburo.
In a communique dated June 11, 2024, to update members of his faction, which was seen by The Standard, Marashwa wrote:
The meeting was intended to inform us of a roadmap (sic) they had planned to hold an illegal national congress of the ZNLWVA on an unknown date.
Cde Marashwa’s deligates (sic) walked out of the meeting after realising that the meeting was intended to convert the ZNLWVA into a political party like what happened in South Africa where MK challenged ANC in the recent elections…
As your national executive committee, we are going to resist any actions intended to divert the ZNLWVA founding objectives of improving the welfare of our members.
Mathibela, who leads a ZNLWVA camp that is not a ZANU PF affiliate, confirmed the meeting but denied claims that they were plotting to form a new political party. He told The Standard:
There is no element of truth in that. We are just talking about the state of the nation where we pray things could change for the better for all Zimbabweans as currently, Zimbabwe is not functional.
