Tinotenda Hove- Government’s renewed drive to recognise and economically empower war collaborators and non-combatant cadres has raised questions over whether official recognition is translating into meaningful improvements in the lives of people who supported Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.

The issue came under the spotlight in Bindura on Saturday when war veterans, war collaborators, non-combatant cadres and Government officials gathered for a Mashonaland Central provincial conference focusing on welfare and economic empowerment.

While officials called for unity among war collaborators, the meeting also exposed the growing expectation that recognition should come with tangible economic benefits rather than being confined to medals, commemorations and official acknowledgements.

ZANU PF Secretary for the War Veterans League Douglas Mahiya urged war collaborators to remain united, arguing that their contribution was inseparable from that of the combatants.

“I am talking of an issue about the wisdom from President Dr Mnangagwa for you to leave a legacy for your children. As war collaborators, you should be one thing; it is difficult to work with different organisations,” Mahiya said.

He added: “We will not go forward as war veterans without war collaborators. For us to be alive today is because of you war collaborators.”

Mahiya said President Emmerson Mnangagwa remained committed to recognising war collaborators, but the emphasis on unity does little to answer the bigger question of whether Government programmes are delivering sufficient economic relief to the beneficiaries.

Government says 163,000 war collaborators and non-combatant cadres are currently registered on the national database, with those who have completed the vetting process receiving Independence medals.

However, the growing focus on economic empowerment suggests that recognition through medals alone may not be enough to satisfy expectations among beneficiaries who are looking for sustainable livelihoods.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs Albert Chikondo acknowledged that recognition must have a material dimension.
“Government understands that recognition must go beyond commemoration and must translate into meaningful programs that improve livelihoods and bring about empowerment,” he said.

That statement places the spotlight firmly on implementation. If recognition is supposed to improve livelihoods, beneficiaries will ultimately judge the programme by the economic opportunities they can actually access.

Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Christopher Magomo urged war collaborators to take advantage of available opportunities, particularly in mining.

“Right now, the President is saying make money, but you have to take action; you can peg mines as war collaborators, we will support you, it is your right to do what you can to be empowered,” Magomo said.

But telling beneficiaries to “make money” is easier than creating the conditions that enable them to do so.

Access to mining claims, capital, equipment, technical expertise and markets can be major obstacles for ordinary citizens seeking to establish viable enterprises. Without practical support to overcome those barriers, empowerment rhetoric risks remaining just that — rhetoric.

The Government therefore faces a crucial test. Registering beneficiaries and awarding medals may satisfy the recognition component, but the more difficult task is ensuring that empowerment programmes produce sustainable economic opportunities.

For war collaborators, the question is no longer simply whether their contribution to the liberation struggle is recognised. Increasingly, the issue is whether that recognition will translate into something they can use to improve their livelihoods and create opportunities for their families.

The Bindura conference may have produced another call for unity and empowerment, but the real measure of success will come outside the conference hall — when beneficiaries can point to businesses, productive assets, mining opportunities and improved livelihoods created through the programmes being promised.

Until then, the gap between recognition and economic reality remains an uncomfortable question for Government.