A group of war collaborators has petitioned the ZANU PF leadership demanding respect and recognition for their role in the liberation struggle, after Vice President Constantino Chiwenga questioned State Security Minister Lovemore Matuke’s liberation war credentials during a heated politburo confrontation last week.
In their letter, the collaborators said they were “deeply troubled” by Chiwenga’s comments, which implied that Matuke never contributed to the struggle. They argued that such statements marginalise the role of thousands of collaborators who risked their lives to support fighters during the war.
“The liberation struggle was not fought solely by those who bore arms,” the petition reads. “War collaborators provided indispensable support, from preparing meals to organising pungwes and shielding fighters from enemy forces. To dismiss these efforts is to undermine the very fabric of our struggle.”
The petitioners further alleged that the delay in gazetting vetted collaborators’ names suggested deliberate resistance within sections of the leadership.
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They demanded three key actions; a public acknowledgement of war collaborators’ critical contributions, respectful treatment of all members, regardless of their wartime role and mmediate government action to gazette the names of vetted collaborators.
The dispute stems from last week’s stormy politburo session, where Chiwenga accused businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei of diverting billions of dollars from ZANU PF’s stake in Sakunda Holdings to capture party structures. When Matuke challenged him, accusing the vice president of plotting a power grab, Chiwenga fired back, questioning his liberation war record and loyalty.
Chiwenga reminded the meeting of his role in the 2017 events that ousted Robert Mugabe and reinstated Mnangagwa from exile, telling Matuke to “ask the President who got him out of the country.”
The exchanges exposed deep divisions at the top of ZANU PF, with President Mnangagwa later appointing a committee of Obert Mpofu, Oppah Muchinguri, and Patrick Chinamasa to investigate the claims against Tagwirei.
The war collaborators’ petition now adds another layer of pressure, as the party heads into its annual conference in Mutare next month, amid growing tensions over succession, loyalty, and historical recognition.
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