Government last week promised heaven on earth to former freedom fighters.
At a Press conference last week, government announced that war veterans will receive urban land, US$150 000 per province and boreholes.
Father Christmas was in Bulawayo on Saturday where presidential adviser Paul Tungwarara said the plight of war veterans was going to witness marked improvement from a US$1,5 million revolving fund where the former freedom fighters would borrow and only repay the principal as the facility was interest free.
At face value, government’s gesture is meant to address the welfare of the former liberation fighters, a majority of whom are wallowing in abject poverty like the rest of the population.
In reality, this is a stopgap measure to pacify the restive constituency after war veteran and Zanu PF central committee member Blessed Runesu Geza recently lambasted the Executive for flaunting extravagant lifestyles while former freedom fighters are battling to make ends meet.
Geza blasted the President Emmerson Mnangagwa administration for failing to rein in corruption, tribalism and the ill-advised push to extend the presidential term by two years to 2030.
This is what rattled government if the latest overture is anything to go by.
What the war veterans want are not trinkets but an equitable share of the national cake which appears to have been monopolised by a select few.
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They fought for a Zimbabwe where opportunities are abound for all to grab regardless of one’s tribe, race or political affiliation. They did not fight for a Zimbabwe where doors to opportunities are open to praise singers, those that gyrate at rallies or tribal kith and kin.
The war veterans' angst comes as more than half of the population is stewing in poverty, struggling to put food on the table.
They don’t want an environment where political praise-singers fatten their wallets at the expense of the majority that is battling to make ends meet.
A tough economic environment characterised by rising prices and declining disposable incomes is buffeting citizens despite claims by fiscal and monetary authorities that they have put in place solid plans for economic growth.
The war veterans abhor a scenario in which mbingas, street lingo for super-rich individuals, defy the tough economic environment by inflating government contracts. They then throw money like confetti at a wedding at a time when the tough economic environment has decimated the pockets of many.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga last month took a dig at the mbingas and the gold mafia saying they have “grown tummies from unexplained wealth”.
“Zimbabwe belongs to all of us. We must share its God-given resources equally, ensuring that no one, including the vulnerable, the widowed, or the orphaned, is marginalised or pushed aside in a ruthless pursuit of undeserved privileges. Corruption must end,” Chiwenga said at the Heroes Acre during burial of national hero Justin Mupamhanga.
The latest offer by government to war veterans is a last ditch attempt to “bribe” the constituency which has consistently flagged the plunder of the country’s resources by the elite.
They will take the money but will not allow tokenism to sway them.
