“We Didn’t Fight For This” — War Vets Turn Guns On ZANU PF, Defend Chiwenga In Chinhoyi Fallout
HARARE — A war veterans group has accused the ruling ZANU PF party of drifting from its founding principles, citing intolerance, patronage and constitutional manipulation at its recent national conference.
In a statement dated Tuesday, the Zimbabwe War Veterans Pressure Group said it was concerned by events at the 23rd National People’s Conference held at Chinhoyi University of Technology from Oct. 12-17.
The group said it was “deeply disturbed by the hostility reportedly directed at Vice President Constantino Chiwenga” after he raised concerns about the party’s direction and departure from people-centered decision-making.
Instead of engaging his concerns, “sections of the conference reportedly resorted to organized booing and attempts to silence him,” the statement said. It alleged individuals were mobilized and financially induced to disrupt his address.
The group expressed support for Chiwenga’s call for introspection and collective leadership, saying its support was principled, not factional.
“The liberation struggle was not fought to replace colonial authoritarianism with indigenous authoritarianism,” the statement said.
The pressure group also warned against the growing influence of politically connected business interests, saying allegations that money was used to mobilize disruptors, if substantiated, “would represent a serious corruption of democratic participation.”
It linked events at Chinhoyi to Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3 of 2026, which it has challenged in court, and questioned attempts to align the party’s constitution, known as the Green Book, with the amended national framework.
The group challenged war veterans leaders Douglas Mahiya and Cephas Ncube to disclose when consultations on the amendments occurred.
It also criticized “the elevation of politically connected individuals to influential public positions, including the recent appointment of Kudakwashe Tagwirei to Cabinet,” saying public office must not become a reward for financial patronage.
The group said the law must apply equally and called on authorities to allow the Constitutional Court to rule on the amendment without political pressure.