
The war collaborators under the Zimbabwe Liberation War
Collaborators’ Association (ZILIWACO) from the country’s 10 provinces had
gathered in Gweru for a conference to “thank” the Midlands province for
providing its “son” Mnangagwa to take up the role of leading the country after
the fall of former President Robert Mugabe.
Mnangagwa, who was billed to grace the event, snubbed the
conference and party officials said the war collaborators will now have to
travel to Harare to meet the President.
NewsDay gathered that the majority of the ageing war
collaborators slept in the open at the Zanu PF International Conference Centre
after failing to secure accommodation at designated public institutions like
schools and colleges.
The venues had been occupied by athletes attending the
Zimbabwe National Youth Games, while the party could not afford to pay for
accommodation at lodges and hotels in the city and surrounding areas.
“On top of sleeping in the open, there were also challenges
in securing water to bath and the party did not also provide mobile toilets for
us at the venue and it was just a disaster,” a delegate from Matabeleland North
said.
The furious delegates also learnt that there was no food
provided by the party at the conference.
Oppah Muchinguri, the Zanu PF national chairperson and
Defence minister, who is also responsible for the welfare of war veterans and
war collaborators, acknowledged the logistical nightmare faced by the delegates
during her speech.
“I know that you came on Friday and did not sleep on
comfortable places. Some of you did not bath and you also did not get food.
However, due to the love of your party Zanu PF and our leader President
Mnangagwa, you remained steadfast. You are also still jubilant. That is the
spirit we want in the party,” she told the war collaborators on Saturday.
Mnangagwa, who was supposed to be guest of honour, did not
show up despite the presidential guard mounting tight security in anticipation
of his arrival.
Other State security organs also frisked people entering
the venue and the presidential motorcade was spotted in the city, but the
President was nowhere to be seen.
Pupurai Togarepi, the Zanu PF secretary for youths and
chairperson for ZILIWACO, attributed the logistical challenges to a sharp rise
in prices of commodities a week before the meeting.
“President Mnangagwa has told us that we should now meet
him in Harare. So we will organise another day to meet him. Just last week,
prices of commodities, especially fuel rose sharply and this is the reason why
we had challenges and some of the delegates could not even afford to come,” he
said. Newsday
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