VP Msika slams war veterans

Vice President Joseph Msika has lambasted war veterans saying the liberation war fighters have laid to waste most of the country’s productive farm land liberation.

Zimbabwe’s chaotic land reforms are widely blamed for the present economic crisis which has seen inflation rise to a world record 100 000 percent forcing millions to leave the country while most of those who remain live in abject poverty.

War veterans along with senior government and ruling Zanu PF party officials were the main beneficiaries of President Robert Mugabe’s controversial land reforms which are widely blamed for the country’s present economic crisis.

Vice President Msika told a poorly attended campaign rally in Karoi, about 204 kilometres from the capital Harare that war veterans had failed to make productive use of the huge tracts of land they took over from the white former commercial farmers.

He accused the war veterans, President Mugabe’s most vociferous supporters, of laying to waste land grabbed from what he described as ‘real farmers who were chased away because of their race’.

''What is so special about you war veterans that you can claim all the best farm land at the expense of the majority when you can hardly farm besides getting inputs from government?

“You have ruined the farming sector at the expense of the whole nation because you are greedy. Land must not be distributed along (political) party lines. Did you fight for Zanu PF supporters only?'' Msika charged.

''Of course some whites are racist but we need production more than anything else'' he added.

Msika has insisted that government should leave some of the remaining productive white farmers on their land a position that has seen him clash with hard line ruling party colleagues such as Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa who is also the land reform Minister.

The Vice President also sought to distance himself from Simba Makoni’s Presidential challenge again describing him as politically bankrupt adding he had nothing to learn from the former finance Minister.

He lambasted Dumiso Dabengwa for publicly backing Makoni’s bid saying the former PF Zapu supremo had lost the plot although he respected him as a former Zipra commander.

About 600 people, mostly school children turned up for the rally which was called to drum-up support for President Mugabe ahead of general elections at the end of the month.

The campaign meeting was delayed for about five hours due to poor attendance forcing an embarrassed Ignatius Chombo, the local government minister to claim that most people were unable to attend as they were working on their farms.

Mugabe faces probably his stiffest challenge yet from former ally Simba Makoni who is contesting as an independent and opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.