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OpenWar Veterans' Press Event Interrupted At Bulawayo Media Centre
A press conference organised by war veterans at the Bulawayo Media Centre on Monday was disrupted by a group of youths claiming to represent an organization called Youth Connect, in front of journalists and police officers.
The war veterans, who intended to address governance issues and announce a march against corruption, tribalism, and economic decline, accused the youths of being “hired hands” and “state agents” attempting to deny them press freedom.
The veterans stressed that their actions were not partisan but aimed at achieving the political and economic freedom they fought for during the liberation struggle.
The press conference, which was to be addressed by Andreas Ethan Mathibela, leader of a faction of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), and Buster Magwizi, spokesperson for the ZPRA Veterans Association, was interrupted when the youths claimed to have booked the venue for their meeting.
The war veterans questioned the legitimacy of Youth Connect, accusing them of disrupting their event on behalf of the state. Said Magwizi:
We came to the press club to address journalists, thinking democracy is there in Zimbabwe, and people are allowed to speak. But if the law enforcers say stop, they should tell us the reason.
We went to war, shed our blood for this country, for you guys to be here today. We are not here to trouble each other. Better for you to kill us, shoot us.
We saw you outside; we know you guys. No-one is quite a secret here. We know that you are state agents. You guys are precipitating violence.
Mathibela warned the youths that their actions could have serious consequences. He said:
You could be protected by a clique of individuals, but you are not safe. If it’s like this, then let war start. You’re now going to inherit our shadows. If you don’t kill us, you must know what is coming to you.
Outside the venue, the situation worsened when one of the youths grabbed Mathibela’s cap. This led to a quick reaction from the crowd, and the youth was quickly restrained and handcuffed by police, who then took him away. Said Mathibela:
We want proper governance. We have a leadership that is corrupt, nepotic, and tribalist. They have created a dynasty.
We are not insulting anyone; we’re not engaging in partisan politics. We don’t belong to a political party. We’re war veterans.
The reason we went to war was simply to help Zimbabwe attain political and economic freedom.
During the confrontation, the youths remained defiant, with one of them heckling Mathibela. After the incident, some of the youths were observed receiving US$10 each from some men involved in the disturbance.
More: ZimLive
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