By Zachary Gava
Harare , (New Ziana) – The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) says it will intensify efforts to improve the welfare of liberation war veterans, with the organisation’s leadership calling for unity, tangible projects and action-based programmes to address members’ socio-economic challenges.
ZNLWVA national chairman Moffat Marashwa made the remarks in Harare on Saturday while presenting his report at the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), its first since the current leadership was elected in 2024.
Marashwa said the association would prioritise initiatives aimed at improving access to economic opportunities, healthcare and sustainable livelihoods for its members, while also expanding its presence across the country.
He said the association had been unable to convene its AGM in 2025 and fulfil some of its constitutional obligations because of legal battles, but maintained that the leadership had remained focused on its mandate.
“We did not hold our AGM in 2025 and meet other constitutional mandates due to legal battles. We were in and out the courts,” Marashwa said.
He said the association had prevailed in cases heard before the High Court and Supreme Court, thanking its legal team for successfully defending its interests.
According to Marashwa, only one case remains outstanding at the High Court in Harare, following a petition by Cephas Ncube, and is awaiting a trial date.
“Notwithstanding, the pending case, there is nothing interdicting or stopping us from doing our usual business as an Association,” he said.
The chairman said the national executive had used the period to lay the groundwork for programmes centred on the welfare of veterans, including engagements with foreign embassies and other stakeholders to mobilise resources.
The resources, he said, would support the establishment of offices at national, provincial and district levels, as well as provide equipment for mining and agricultural initiatives being pursued by members.
“This will go a long way in increasing the Association’s footprint and accessibility to its members,” Marashwa said.
He also revealed plans to transform the association’s approach to economic projects, moving away from predominantly cooperative-based initiatives towards family-based projects.
He said the proposed shift took into account the advancing age of liberation war veterans and the need to ensure that economic benefits extended directly to their families.
“We intend to have a paradigm shift on the projects from being cooperative based to family based. This stance is taken having in mind our age as veterans of the Chimurenga war,” he said.
The association is also pushing for improved monthly pensions for liberation war veterans, with Marashwa describing the current payments as inadequate.
“We also engaged relevant Government departments to improve the monthly pension from the current one, which is very paltry. We are also advocating for medical aid for our members,” he said.
The chairman said the national executive had, over the past 12 months, visited provinces and districts as part of efforts to mobilise veterans and assess the association’s membership.
He said the organisation’s monthly subscription would remain at US$2 or its equivalent in local currency, in a move intended to ensure that membership remained affordable and accessible to veterans across the country.
Marashwa urged members to remain united and committed to the association’s welfare mandate, warning against divisive tendencies that could undermine the organisation.
“I would like 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.
He challenged the leadership and membership to move beyond resolutions and ensure that agreements reached by the association translate into concrete action.
“Let’s ensure we spearhead welfare of members of the liberation struggle which is action based. If we have agreements here, let’s see them through,” Marashwa said.
The AGM provided a platform for the association to take stock of its activities, chart a new course for its welfare programmes and reinforce calls for unity among liberation war veterans as the organisation seeks to address the economic and social needs of its ageing membership.
New Ziana
