OPPOSITION MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday waded into the long-drawn Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (Zpra) property debate, challenging the Zanu PF administration to respect the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo’s legacy by returning the several properties seized from his PF-Zapu party at the height of the Gukurahundi era.
The issue of Zpra properties has been a subject of anger
following government’s takeover of the assets which were bought by
ex-combatants after the liberation war that ended in 1980.
“July is a special month as we remember Dr Joshua Mqabuko
Nkomo for the heroic contribution to the liberation struggle,” Chamisa said in
a statement yesterday.
“The best way to honour Nkomo’s legacy is for government to
immediately return all Zpra properties and all such properties that belonged to
Nkomo.”
Nkomo, who led PF-Zapu until the signing of the Unity
Acccord with Zanu PF in November 1987, when he was appointed Vice-President,
died on July 1, 1999 and was declared a national hero.
But his followers, some of whom later broke ranks with Zanu
PF to revive Zapu, are bitter that government has not honoured its pledge to
return the seized properties which include farms, fuel stations and commercial
buildings.
They accuse top Zanu PF officials of sharing the properties
among themselves while ex-Zpra combatants continue to wallow in abject poverty.
The properties include those owned by Nitram (Pvt) Ltd, a
holding company formed by Zpra ex-freedom fighters from their demobilisation
payments.
One of the properties in Bulawayo, Magnet House, now houses
the spy agency Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).
However, government argued that the properties were seized
following alleged discovery of arms caches at some of the Zapu party farms.
Newsday
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