ZIMBABWE’S war veterans have demanded high government
office posts and want legislators in both the National Assembly and Senate to
sing the national anthem before the beginning of each parliamentary sitting.
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee of Defence and Home
Affairs chairperson Levi Mayihlome made the revelations on Tuesday when he
presented a report on the Veterans of the Liberations Struggle Bill which is
currently at second reading stage in the National Assembly.
The Bill, gazetted in September 2019, seeks to repeal the
War Veterans Act (Chapter 11:15), the Ex-Political Prisoners Detainees and
Restrictees Act (Chapter 17:10) and provide for one consolidated Act called the
Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act.
Parliament sessions usually begin with a prayer which is
read by the Speaker of the National Assembly and Senate president.
“War veterans are concerned that the national anthem is not
sung at the beginning of each parliamentary sitting in both the National
Assembly and Senate,” Mayihlome said.
Those employed in government also want immediate promotion
to lofty posts in government where they are employed to boost their retirement
and pension benefits.
The ex-combatants are also demanding a 20% quota share in
Parliament, State institutions and in the recruitment of their children in the
army, police and other State institutions.
The report on public hearings held in January also shows
that ex-combatants demanded diplomatic passports, comprehensive medical cover
“by a reputable medical aid company”, exemption in paying land tax, vehicle
import duty and tollgate fees, among other benefits.
“A proposal was made to include a clause on automatic
promotion of veterans of the liberation struggle currently working in
government institutions. They suggested that serving members due for retirement
should be promoted one step up in order to boost their retirement packages and
pension benefits, as is the case with retiring military personnel,” Mayihlome
told parliamentarians on Tuesday.
The Bill also provides for all categories of veterans of
the liberation struggle who are provided for in section 23 of the Constitution
as “those who fought, those who assisted and those who were imprisoned,
detained or restricted”.
“The veterans of the liberation struggle called for the
Bill to have a clause which clearly states that there should be a 20% quota for
war veterans in Parliament and all government institutions, as is the case with
women and youth … will ensure that their welfare concerns are fully addressed,
while at the same time safeguarding revolutionary values and interests,”
Mayihlome added.
“Another proposal made in honour of veterans benefitting
posthumously was that 20% of their children, including those of living
veterans, should be offered jobs by the Public Service Commission. To this end,
a call was made to incorporate a clause to read, ‘Employment of children of
veterans of the liberation struggle in the public service, that is, the
Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Prisons Services and other
government institutions’.”
The ex-combatants are also demanding that a 20% quota of
the presidential and other national scholarship schemes be reserved for their
children and dependants of veterans of the liberation struggle. War veterans
also said “…the Bill should incorporate a clause to address issues of
exhumation of those who perished during the liberation struggle.
“They claimed that the State should take maximum
responsibility on identifying the deceased and spearheading the exhumation
process, thereby rendering them decent reburial at the Heroes’ Acre or their
respective home shrines,” Mayihlome said.
“The same clause should seek to address gaps on adherence
and reverence to cultural practices such as traditional cleansing in order to
appease and put to rest the spirits of fallen heroes and heroines whose remains
lie neglected either in foreign lands or from within our borders.
“War veterans called for the Bill to have a clause wherein
the liberation fighters will be recognised and honoured through awarding of
bravery medals as is the case with chiefs … to accord due respect, honour and
recognition to veterans of the liberation struggle. In addition, new identity
cards should be processed and given to each veteran of the liberation
struggle.”
In 2011, exhumations of fallen ex-combatants allegedly
belonging to Zanla were initially carried out by members of the Fallen Heroes
Trust, a group linked to the ruling Zanu PF party, before government officials
took over.
Zanla was the military wing of Zanu during the liberation
struggle. The High Court stopped the exhumations following a court challenge by
Zipra guerrilla war fighters. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment