Former War Fighters Condemn Senior Army Chief Utterances

In a statement signed by former war veterans who are board of trustees of the ZLP, Wilfred Mhanda (known as Dzinashe Machingura during the war) and Happyson Nenji whose liberation war name was Webster Gwauya, they said Nyikayaramba’s decree in the press in the past week has shown that there is serious need for security sector reforms in the country.
 
“If Brigadier Nyikayaramba… fought for Zanu (PF) and Mugabe to rule Zimbabwe forever, we wish to state unequivocally that the majority of freedom fighters within both Zanla and Zipra fought among other things, for unfettered political freedom and democracy based on the right to vote on the basis of one person one vote. We wonder whether the Brigadier had any political education at all during the war,” ZLP said.
 
“Maybe, as he says he joined the struggle at the age of 14, he was intellectually challenged at that age to have comprehended the purpose and objective of the liberation war. For the record , the overwhelming majority of freedom fighters were never card carrying members of political parties. Shame on all those commanders and fighters who wear acts of terror against unarmed civilians,black or white, as a badge of honour.”
 
The ZLP said soldiers and military personnel must appreciate that they are paid by the tax payers and that they should always strive to ensure safety of citizens. The independent body said Nyikayaramba should retire from the army to join Zanu (PF) like what other senior army commanders did in the past years. Retired Air Vice Marshal, Henry Muchena who retired in the past months is now working at Zanu (PF) headquarters. Muchena was reported in the media that before he retired he was already working at Zanu (PF) to revamp party structures across the country.
 
“The Brigadier goes on to rubbish the need for security sector reform, something that all the principals to the GPA, including President Mugabe undertook to carry out. What an irony? The national defence forces and other arms of state security should rid of unprofessional officers and political activists like him… A true national defence force can thus do without Nyikayaramba and other officers who believe that Mugabe and Zanu (PF) should rule forever. The defence forces is are not a Zanu (PF) militia as he imagines,” ZLP said.