PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has revealed that some families of war veterans are not aware of the benefits due to them and as a result have failed to access health care and children not enrolling for school.
Although many of the veterans of the liberation struggle are entitled to pensions, access to basic health care, education and other benefits through the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act, some are yet to be registered and concerns have been raised over the meagre payouts from NSSA to the beneficiaries.
Over the years, war veterans have argued that their monthly pensions are not enough to cater to their basic needs.
Speaking at the Heroes Day commemorations at the National Shrine in Harare, on Monday, Mnangagwa said the government has launched awareness campaigns urging war victims to register and get their compensation.
"Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs Ministry is expected to increase the visibility and awareness of their programmes; inclusive of the benefits accruing to our veterans of the liberation struggle as well as their dependents.
"Many injured war victims should be registered and compensated appropriately. The majority of widows of our heroes are not aware of their benefits, and some children are not in school and do not receive medical attention.
"We are, therefore, running awareness campaigns throughout the country, and requests for assistance are being received," Mnangagwa said.
Still, on their welfare, the President said the Second Republic was aware of the need to memorialise the Liberation War through repatriation, reburials and related processes to bring closure to the families of deceased Veterans.
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He added, "Apart from well-known bases such as Freedom Camp, Mkushi, Nyadzonia and Chimoio, the government has been availing resources towards repatriating and reburying thousands of Veterans who still lie in shallow and unmarked graves in and outside the country.
"The need to accurately record, document and preserve the story of the Liberation Struggle cannot be over-emphasised.
"There are numerous records, which are available both in Zimbabwe and in countries that supported our revolutionary war. These require collation, annotation and electronic storage to facilitate ease of retrieval."
The Department of National Archives of Zimbabwe is exploring partnerships with families of nationalists to establish liberation heritage archives and sites in all ten provinces.
Mnangagwa added that the department had compiled documentation of liberation heritage narratives, with a special focus on the Kamungoma Massacre Site in Gutu, Butcher Site in Rusape, and the former Dzapasi Assembly Point in Buhera, among others.
