13 Former ZIPRA Fighters Rejoin ZANU PF in Bulawayo

Thirteen former ZIPRA liberation war fighters have returned to ZANU PF in Bulawayo, saying they now trust the party’s leadership and want to help promote unity and national development.

The group, made up of nine men and four women, was officially welcomed at a ZANU PF cell in Nketa suburb. They had spent many years outside the ruling party and were previously linked to opposition political groups.

ZANU PF War Veterans League Director Voltan Ekem Moyo said the liberation struggle did not end in 1980 but continues through defending Zimbabwe’s independence and growing the economy.

He said all war veterans who fought for the country are welcome in the party.

“The fight against external interference is still ongoing. Those who liberated this country have a responsibility to protect its sovereignty,” he said.

Cde Moyo added that Emmerson Mnangagwa has consistently encouraged unity among liberation war veterans, regardless of whether they fought under ZANLA or ZIPRA.

He said the returning fighters would now have a platform to take part in national development and economic growth.

Cde Moyo also called on other former ZIPRA cadres who are still undecided to consider rejoining the ruling party, saying ZANU PF is open to all liberation fighters.

One of the returnees, 76-year-old Cde Khutshekhaya Ndlovu, described his return as coming back home after many years away from politics.

He said he left Zimbabwe for Botswana in 1976 and later went to Zambia, where he received military training under former Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander Philip Valerio Sibanda.

In 1977, he was deployed to the Northern Front and took part in fighting Rhodesian forces.

After independence, Cde Ndlovu joined the Zimbabwe National Army in August 1980 and retired in 1987.

“I now believe returning to ZANU PF is the right decision,” he said.

Another returnee, Cde Elliot Mhlanga, said he joined the liberation struggle at the age of 19 in 1973 after travelling through Botswana to Zambia.

He later received advanced military training in Libya and the former Soviet Union, including in Odesa, Ukraine, where he trained with the KGB.

After returning to Zambia, he operated in Sipolilo before being deployed to Nkayi.
He said he was at St Paul Assembly Point when the Lancaster House Agreement led to a ceasefire in 1979.

Following independence, he also joined the Zimbabwe National Army and retired in 1988.
“ZANU PF is the only party built on the liberation struggle. I am proud to be back,” he said.

Female war veteran Cde Mavis Dube said she joined the armed struggle in 1976 together with three schoolmates from Nkayi.

She was trained in the former Soviet Union and said the suffering experienced during the war was worth it for the freedom Zimbabwe enjoys today.

After independence, she did not join the army and instead focused on raising her family.

“Some of us stepped away from politics because of past disagreements, but the time has come to return and help build the nation,” she said.

The return of the former ZIPRA combatants highlights ongoing efforts by ZANU PF to strengthen unity among liberation war veterans, especially in Matabeleland, where historical divisions have influenced post-independence politics.

The move also comes at a time when there are growing calls for national unity, economic inclusion and greater recognition of war veterans as important contributors to Zimbabwe’s development.