Tshinga Dube, the War Veterans minister has openly joined and is now backing the former liberation war fighters upon Mugabe naming his successor. The veterans have consistently been racketing up pressure on Mugabe for some time now though, the president has been adamant to responding.
Dube says that, President Robert Mugabe must name his successor to end the dog-eat-dog infighting ravaging his party over his succession.
On the sidelines of a sports kits handover ceremony in his Makokoba constituency, the War Veterans minister informed journalists that the veterans that fought for independence were just misunderstood by those who went quick, dismissing them as disloyal.
Dube explained that, the war fighters were genuinely concerned about the country’s future and nothing much.
“There was nothing sinister about the ex-combatants calling on President Mugabe to provide clarity on who should take over from him upon vacating the top office,” Dube clarified.
Tshinga Dube is one of the ironic veterans of the Zimbabwe liberation struggle, who fought on the side of Zipra, the military wing of Zapu.
After Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, Dube worked as a director of signals in the Zimbabwe National Army. He later worked as a deputy secretary and director of research and development in the Ministry of Defense.
Dube then took up the position of general manager at Moribund Zimbabwe Defense Industries (ZDI). He finally was appointed a deputy minister of war veterans and later became a full minister, in March, last year.
Further about the current situation, Dube noted that while the former liberation war fighters were and are happy with Mugabe’s leadership and they would want him to win in the forth coming elections next year, they cannot pretend like there can never be a future without Mugabe as the president.
The veterans’ minister highlighted that, when the veterans said that they were looking forward to the future leadership, some people thought that they were being disloyal to the president, which is strongly not the case.
“We respect our president. He has done so much for this country. He brought about land to people who never had land. He has brought education to our nation, but we are talking about the future,” Dube remarked.
“Our president will eventually choose to retire. We don’t know when, but what happens when that time comes? That is what the veterans are saying, they just want Mugabe to name and groom the next leader, such that whatever happens, be it he retires or something, there is somebody we know,” he expressed the feeling.
“When they choose some of the suitors,” he elaborated, “It is not because they are tired of the president, no, not at all. They are only misunderstood. There is nothing wrong with aspiring to be president if you desire to be, however, people are the ones to choose you, not you choosing yourself.”
On this matter, there are whispers in sections of the ruling party that President Robert Mugabe intends to groom his wife Grace Mugabe, as his successor, a thing that Grace denies.
She (Grace) says that, she is contented with her role as a women’s league boss and denied any assumptions of her eyeing the presidential seat.
Correspondent: Shamilah Namuddu
