Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube | Zim GBC News<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BULAWAYO \u2013 The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) has presented a formal position paper demanding guaranteed participation in the proposed Bulawayo Special Economic Zone (SEZ), warning that economic development must not exclude those who fought for the nation\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Presenting the paper at a stakeholders\u2019 meeting at the Holiday Inn in Bulawayo on Monday, the association argued that veterans hold a \u201clegitimate and moral stake\u201d in all major national economic programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe SEZ initiative must therefore not only attract capital but must also restore dignity, inclusion, and economic justice to those who fought for this country,\u201d read the preamble of the document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The veterans cited the historical context of Bulawayo\u2019s industrial decline, which they said disproportionately affected former combatants absorbed into industries after independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe deindustrialisation of the city disproportionately affected war veterans, many of whom were absorbed into collapsing industries and later discarded without social or economic safety nets,\u201d the paper stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ZNLWVA Chairman, Cde. Andrease Ethan Mathibela, emphasised the principle of inclusive empowerment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEconomic development without inclusion breeds resentment and instability,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWar veterans should not be reduced to ceremonial figures but recognised as foundational stakeholders in national development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The association tabled several key proposals, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b7 Reserved quotas for industrial stands, factory shells, and commercial spaces within the SEZ for veteran-owned entities.
\u00b7 The establishment of a dedicated “War Veterans SEZ Economic Empowerment Facility” with government guarantees.
\u00b7 Employment quotas for veterans and their dependents in SEZ enterprises.
\u00b7 Representation of veterans on SEZ governance structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe stand ready to partner with Government, local authorities, and investors to ensure that the Bulawayo SEZ becomes a model of inclusive, patriotic, and sustainable development,\u201d the paper concluded, reiterating the veterans\u2019 motto:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNothing for us, without us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The proposal aligns the veterans\u2019 demands with the national Vision 2030 and the values of the Unity Accord, framing inclusion as a necessary component of reconciliation and shared prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Zim GBC News | Global News From An African Perspective\u00a92025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube | Zim GBC News BULAWAYO \u2013 The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) has presented a formal position paper demanding guaranteed participation in the proposed Bulawayo… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11386,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11384\/revisions\/11386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}