President Robert Gabriel Mugabe has come out guns blazing against inpatient Liberation War Veterans ahead of the crunch 7 April meeting aimed at discussing among other things Zanu PF succession wars, factions and Mugabe’s retirement.
While talking to party members and journalists yesterday at Harare International Airport on his return from Japan, President Mugabe said it was common custom that war vets and their associations were subservient to Zanu PF not the other way round.
In other words the party controls them and it is not subject their authority.
Mugabe was visibly angry with the recent actions by War Vets and he said that there will be severe repercussions for members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association who are pursuing factional politics in Zanu-PF.
He sent a clear message that his party does not and will not take orders from affiliate organisations and was prepared to go separate ways with the War Vets associations if its members were unwilling to follow procedures.
The War Vets have shown Mugabe that they are prepared to go back to the trenches in order to restore sanity in Zanu PF and Zimbabwe.
The association’s leadership has been accused for going as far as China to call for leadership change in Zimbabwe and Zanu PF.
They have also been accused by Mugabe for holding unsanctioned meeting at which they called for new party leadership, attacked the First Family and came short of passing a vote of no confidence on Mugabe after doing so to Mphoko and other top party and government officials.
President Mugabe is set to meet over 10 000 angry war veterans on Thursday where issues of retirement and succession are expected to be topical.
Yesterday the President said that War Vets risked going down the Joice Mujuru way if they do not change their attitude soon adding that those War Veterans who fell foul of Zanu-PF’s regulations should excuse themselves and leave the party.
