Zimbabwe: Poverty Stricken War Veterans Buried Without Coffins - Says Chinotimba - Laments Dire Plight of Ex-Fighters

6 April 2023
New Zimbabwe (London)

Buhera South Member of Parliament Joseph Chinotimba has raised red flags over the plight of war veterans saying some ex-fighters are buried without coffins due to bureaucracy and financial constraints.

Speaking during a parliamentary session, Chinotimba said the war veterans situation is dire as most are failing to provide basic needs to their children.

"The gist of the matter is that war veterans must be empowered. Some of the war veterans we come across will be in a sorry state. Some of them are buried without coffins. There is also too much bureaucracy," Chinotimba said.

"There are no coffins in Buhera where we can easily access them. You have to wait for declaration in Harare where you are declared a liberation war hero."

Chinotimba bemoaned the paltry funding a family gets when their relative is declared a national hero.

"Sometimes you only get RTGS3 000 funding yet when someone is declared a national hero, there will be plenty of food and drinks, but for a liberation war hero, there is nothing you will see. You will see lights, Doves or Nyaradzo with huge vehicles when a national hero's burial is taking place."

The treatment of a war hero, according to Chinotimba, must be the same for a liberation war fighter.

According to Chinotimba there is a need to decentralise the process of assisting funerals of ex-war fighters.

"Sometimes there is just a declaration but the coffin has to come from Harare. Sometimes their children just bury them - why do we not decentralize that process," said the Buhera South legislator.

Further, Chinotimba called for government intervention in facilitating examination fees which are paid in USD for war veterans' children.

"The pension we are getting and the fees for our children is not enough. Our children are being expelled from school because of non-payment of fees. Even the examination fees, we cannot afford to pay. We are made to pay the examination fees in US$ dollars."

Currently, war veterans are receiving a meagre US$87 as pension.

"We negotiate on school fees payment but for examination fees, there is no negotiation," lamented Chinotimba.

Read the original article on New Zimbabwe.

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