By Lisca Philo
The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) has pledged to intensify its focus on the welfare of liberation war veterans, with pensions, medical care, land and sustainable economic projects emerging as key priorities.
The commitment was made at the Association’s Annual General Meeting held in Harare on Friday, bringing together delegates from provinces and districts across the country.
Presenting his report, National Chairman Cde Moffat Elias Marashwa said the Association’s programmes were being shaped by the changing circumstances of an ageing war veterans’ community.
He said the national executive had continued working to advance the Association’s core mandate despite the challenges it faced.
“Despite these legal challenges, our national executive was not sitting on its laurels. A lot of ground work was covered in line with the main objective of the Association which is welfare of its members,” Cde Marashwa said.
Land remained an important issue for the Association, with the leadership acknowledging Government’s efforts to assist war veterans while calling for outstanding cases of land allocation to be addressed.
Cde Marashwa said the Association would continue engaging relevant authorities to ensure that members who were yet to benefit from land programmes were considered.
The Association is also pursuing initiatives aimed at improving the economic circumstances of its members.
According to Cde Marashwa, the national executive has been engaging embassies and other stakeholders from countries friendly to Zimbabwe to mobilise resources for projects benefiting war veterans.
The initiatives include office accommodation, mining and agricultural projects, with the Association seeking to create sustainable sources of income for its members.
“Projects for its members. We intend to have a paradigm shift on the projects from being cooperative based to family based,” he said.
The proposed shift towards family-based projects is intended to take into account the age of many war veterans and ensure that their families can continue benefiting from projects established through the Association.
The welfare agenda also includes efforts to improve pensions and access to healthcare.
Cde Marashwa said the Association had engaged relevant Government departments over the monthly pension paid to war veterans, which he described as inadequate.
“We also engaged relevant government departments to improve the monthly pension from the current one, which is very paltry,” he said.
The Association is also advocating for improved medical aid support for its members as they grow older.
“We are also advocating for medical aid for our members,” Cde Marashwa said.
He said the Association was also strengthening its structures by reaching out to provinces and districts across the country to mobilise membership and assess its existing membership base.
The monthly subscription will remain at a minimum of US$2 or its equivalent in local currency.
“Our monthly subscriptions remain at a bare minimum of US$2 or equivalent in local currency. This is to make it affordable and within the reach of every war veteran who want to be a member of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association,” he said.
Cde Marashwa also called for unity among members, urging them to remain committed to the Association’s welfare mandate.
“As I conclude, I would to encourage each and everyone of us to remain united, be committed to the cause of our Association which is welfare and shun all forms of mechanisms which are divisive in nature,” he said.
The AGM marked the first such gathering since the current national executive was elected in 2024, with the leadership using the meeting to outline its priorities for the next phase of its work.
