Tinotenda Hove- Children of veterans of the liberation struggle were this week rounded up to pledge loyalty to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his troubled Vision 2030 agenda, in what critics see as yet another ZANU-PF patronage gathering disguised as empowerment.

Thousands were bussed to the Harare International Conference Centre on Monday for a highly choreographed interface with Mnangagwa, where the message was less about genuine economic transformation and more about political survival.

Instead of addressing the deepening economic crisis and youth unemployment, the event was turned into a praise-singing platform, with tractors and trucks handed out as tokens to buy allegiance.

Minister of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs, Senator Monica Mavhunga, made it clear that the children are expected to be political foot soldiers for the ruling party.

“You are the heirs of the liberation legacy. Your parents brought political independence, now you must safeguard it through economic participation and unity. The Party will continue to ensure that children of war veterans are empowered and remain united behind President Mnangagwa and Vision 2030,” she said.

Chairperson of the Children of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, Mr Phineas Makombe, admitted that for years they had been neglected, only to be remembered now when Mnangagwa needs political cover.

“We thank His Excellency President Mnangagwa for listening to our cries. For long we were not formally recognised in empowerment programmes. Today, with the trucks, tractors and financial support we have received, we can now meaningfully contribute to building our country brick by brick. We remain united and fully behind the President’s Vision 2030,” he said.

One beneficiary, Mr Muteuri Madovi, tried to paint the handouts as life-changing, while inadvertently exposing how economically abandoned they had been.

“We are grateful to President Mnangagwa for remembering us. This tractor is not just a machine; it is our future. Now we can farm properly and be productive. Our parents liberated this country, and today the President has liberated us economically. We promise to use this equipment productively,” he said.

The patronage was laid bare when Special Advisor to the President on Investment and Empowerment, Dr Paul Tungwarara, handed over five 400-horsepower trucks with 30-tonne trailers, while businessman and Senator Dr Kudakwashe Tagwirei pledged US$1 million and 10 vehicles per province – reinforcing fears that state resources and tycoon money are being used to prop up the ED 2030 campaign at a time when ordinary Zimbabweans are struggling to survive.

What was billed as an empowerment indaba ended up as a loyalty oath ceremony, with little clarity on sustainability, transparency in beneficiary selection, or long-term economic impact.