G40-aligned war vets plot congress despite court order

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

A breakaway group of war veterans that is linked to a Zanu PF faction dubbed Generation 40 is preparing for a congress to elect a leadership to replace the current one comprising ex-combatants who have rebelled against President Robert Mugabe.

The prevailing leadership led by Christopher Mutsvangwa as chairman stays it still has three more years before new elections can be held.

The High Court recently ordered the splinter group that is led by Mandi Chimene, the Manicaland provincial affairs minister, from acting in the stead of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) executive.

President Robert Mugabe is strongly in support of the Chimene outfit and recently decreed that it must go ahead and form a new leadership, but that was before the High Court interdict.

His order followed a rebellious communique understood to have been circulated by the current leadership which also announced that it would no longer support Mugabe after decades as his storm troopers.

The breakaway veterans group’s purported vice chairperson, George Mlala, has thrown out the High Court judgment and is leading the establishment of interim structures in the provinces ahead of the planned elective congress.

So far, structures have been set up in Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, the Midlands, Masvingo and Manicaland.

In Masvingo, Mlala told group members at the weekend that the new structure consisted of war veterans loyal to Mugabe following the Mutsvanga camp’s rebellion against the 92-year-old president who they described as too old.

Mutsvanga, Douglas Mahiya (secretary for information in the ZNLWVA), Victor Matemadanda, the secretary general, have already been expelled from the ruling Zanu PF.

“This is your new executive from today onwards. You report to them. We want to build a war veterans’ structure that is glued to the party. The interim executive should re-unite the war veterans with the party,” Mlala told the Masvingo group.

The Mutsvangwa camp is gunning for Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to take over from Mugabe, reportedly before the 2018 general elections and is said to be enjoying the support of the military. Nehanda Radio