President calls for war vets welfare fund

ZIMBABWE National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) patron President Mugabe has called for the establishment of a fund to assist liberation war heroes and their dependants and urged Zimbabweans to contribute towards the welfare of veterans of the liberation struggle.

Addressing thousands of people who gathered to commemorate Heroes Day at the National Heroes’ Acre in Harare yesterday, the President said Government had created the Ministry of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees headed by Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube to look at the welfare of former liberation fighters.

“MaWar veterans vane organisation yavo, vane ministry yatakavapa naVaTshinga Dube as minister. Tumari tunovhotwa tushoma, ngatiitei a very wide programme yekuti tiite a huge fund yorubatsiro inobatsirana nemaefforts aVaChinamasa, vari kutadza nekuwanda kwakaita zvinangwa zvedu. Uku maministries ese ane zvinangwa zvinoda mari, zvikoro zvedu maticha anoda kubhadharwa, tinoda kuvapa zvimwe zvikoro, mauniversities mari inobva kumitero yedu chete.

“Asi ndinoziva kuti homwe dzavanhu hadzigari dzakabooka and chido chavo chinenge chiripo nekuti ndinoona patinoti timboita funding vanhu huyai, vanhu vedu vane chido chekupa, ngachivepo chido ichocho. Tichada kuti tive nefunding iyoyo yekubatsira mafamily emawar veterans, vatakarasikirwa navo nevachiri vapenyu. Saka tichazenge toumba zvakanaka maitirwo angaitwa kuti funding iyoyo ibudirire,” President Mugabe said.

President Mugabe urged Zimbabweans to research more on the liberation struggle.

“As a nation, we still need to do a lot more for and about our national heroes and war of liberation. We should feel challenged to research comprehensively, record and preserve more about our heroes but first and foremost, we have heroes’ families. Tinoda rubatsiro, I want to appeal kwamuri kuti muendewo kumaprovince kwenyu muchiti President vari kuti vanoda rubatsiro rwenyu.”