Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) is a Zimbabwean organisation ostensibly led by former combatants of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) who served during the Rhodesian Bush War.^[1] In 2005, the government looked into ways to make members of the organisation part of the army of Zimbabwe.^[2]

History

The ZNLWVA was formed after Zimbabwe's independence in 1980. It was mainly formed to look into the needs of demobilised combatants, mostly members of Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army and Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army. All veterans became members by default.

ZNLWVA was a non-entity in the politics of Zimbabwe for more than fifteen years after it was founded. That changed when Chenjerai Hunzvi became its chairman in 1997. Hunzvi bitterly criticised ZANU-PF for profiting itself while its former guerrillas were ignored and cheated. Since 1980, war veterans had collectively been robbed of a total of $10 billion by ZANU (PF) senior officials and Robert Mugabe's close relatives. In the wake of the war veterans' demands, the government panicked and had to pay off as concessions. The ZNLWVA pointed out that ZIPRA and ZANLA personnel excluded from the Zimbabwe National Army at independence had received only meagre pensions of Z$185 per month until 1983. Members had watched these savings evaporate in the wake of a growing financial crisis in the early 1990s.^[3] The organisation demonstrated at ZANU-PF headquarters in Harare and successfully lobbied for additional gratuities of Z$50,000 (equivalent to US$4000). Tax free pensions of Z$2,000 a month were also conceded. This success inspired the protests of another group, the Women in the National Liberation War Collaborators Association, which called on President Robert Mugabe to also compensate female partisans who had served as scouts and spies during the bush war.^[3]

In January 2000, ZNLWVA wrote a letter addressed to Queen Elizabeth II and communicated through Peter Longworth, the British High Commissioner to Zimbabwe. It gave vent to the frustrations of landless veterans and blamed the nation's white minority of predominantly British descent for refusing to participate in constructive land reform. ZNLWVA threatened a "bloodbath" in future "clashes against commercial farmers" unless land hunger was addressed to their satisfaction.^[4]

Around the start of the 21st century, members of ZNLWVA, notably Joseph Chinotimba, masqueraded as the leader of the invasions of white owned commercial farms with tacit approval from the government of Robert Mugabe, which became known as the Third Chimurenga. These invasions were often led by a war veteran but consisted mainly of youths too young to have participated in the independence war.

Instrument for ZANU-PF

ZNLWVA has a close alliance with Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), the ruling party, and by extension the government led by Robert Mugabe. In all elections since 2000, the members of the ZNLWVA, commonly known as 'war vets' have spearheaded election campaigns for ZANU-PF. After the leadership of Chenjerai Hunzvi came Habulani Sibanda and Joseph Chinotimba. These two elevated to controlling the association after being propelled by Robert Mugabe who wanted stoogies he could manipulate and gain him control over the body amid other leaders in the association who could not be bought due to their firm belief in ideology. As such war veterans became instrumental for ZANU-PF in suppressing the opposition through the use of harassment, intimidation, and violence. They often act alongside the ZANU-PF's youth formation. ^[5][6]

Leaders

References