Highly acknowledged War Veteran Munosiyani Christopher Makwambeni, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Chapwititi Chehondo has claimed he is destitute with no land or house of his own 40 years after Zimbabwe gained independence.
He made his emotional remarks during an interview with Zimpapers. He was asked whether : Today’s Zimbabwe what you envisaged as you fought for the liberation of this nation?
“To some extent yes. I fought for the liberation of this country. I fought for the removal of racism. I fought for free speech. I fought for equal opportunities for both black and white, men and women. I fought for blacks to reclaim their land that had been stolen by the colonialists. I just wanted a country where everybody was free to exercise their rights. I am saddened though, that we still have inequality where one race appears superior to the other. Yes, I fought for the land. And I am happy that a lot of blacks got land through the land redistribution effort. I am happy for those black families that got it. Like what my grandmother always reminded me that I still had not done my gawu portion. I still have some outstanding work to do. I will continue to defend this land.
I was retired from the army in 1998 and would have expected my now 35-year-old son, Clifford, to have been afforded a chance to serve there. But today, the nearer he has been to serve this nation is through his job as a security guard.
I am unhappy with the level of indiscipline and corruption amongst cadres. And I speak most for my comrades. Being the disciplined cadres that we are, we will continue to defend Zimbabwe notwithstanding the shenanigans of those that have taken advantage of the freedom we fought for.
I wish Government would do more for the war veterans. Is it not ironic that it is only in Zimbabwe where war veterans are looked down upon and mocked? All over the world war veterans are venerated and live comfortable lives. Even when you try and compare us with our neighbours in the region, we fare badly. We remain hopeful that our leaders in the Second Republic are mindful of us because some of us are destitute. I trust that our leaders will work towards the improvement of the living standard of ordinary citizens.”, he replied.Â
