Story by Tichaona Kurewa
THE Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) conference held in Victoria Falls this Thursday saw delegates expressing gratitude to the government for instituting measures to improve their welfare.
Since assuming office in October last year, the new leadership of the ZNLWVA has been conducting nationwide outreach meetings focusing on the welfare of veterans of the liberation struggle and their participation in government-led development programmes.
Provinces visited so far include Bulawayo, Masvingo, and Manicaland.
The war veterans’ leadership was in Matabeleland North this Thursday, where there was unanimous gratitude to the government for empowerment initiatives positively impacting lives at grassroots level.
“We are thankful for the borehole scheme and housing schemes for war veterans, which they will pass on to their families and children in the future. We have seen transformations in the well-being of many war veterans. Most of them were living in poverty, but now there is change,” a war veteran noted.
“We thank the government for the launch of the Presidential Fund. It has helped a lot of war veterans to start income-generating projects and businesses, which have helped them to gain confidence in the ruling party’s developments,” another said.
“With the land we got through the government, we have managed to venture into farming, where we do horticulture projects that we sell our produce to nearby communities and lodges around.”
The ZNLWVA leadership outlined the objectives of the gathering and ongoing initiatives aimed at uplifting veterans of the liberation struggle.
“We have been holding war veteran meetings around the country to introduce them to their local leadership and district leadership to familiarise and discuss issues of war veterans’ welfare and development,” ZNLWVA Spokesperson Cde Cornelius Muwoni said.
“We went to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for guidance and wisdom, and we managed to get what we explained here, that he gave us an assignment to see ministries that have got something to do with war veterans’ welfare and we have done it. There is a response from the ministries and we are waiting for the results from the other ministries. Results will be published or made available to the public soon,” ZNLWVA Chairperson Cde Cephas Ncube added.
As part of its mantra of leaving no one and no place behind, the government continues to roll out programmes aimed at improving the livelihoods of veterans of the liberation struggle and their communities.
