A meeting with female war veterans was held at the Bulawayo Club on the 13th of April 2018 as part of WILD’s contributions to the pursuit of peace and reconciliation in Zimbabwe. The meeting was held under the theme: ‘WOMEN FOR JUSTICE, PEACE AND RECONCILIATION’.
Female war veterans resolved that WILD should facilitate a meeting with the Department Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Ex-Political Detainees and Restrictees so that they can actively engage them on issues that affect them as female war veterans.
The women delegates called for a balanced narration of the liberation struggle. They highlighted that most of them are aging but they have never had opportunities to share their stories, the roles they played, the challenges they faced and the challenges they still face in a liberated Zimbabwe.
The female war veterans lamented the deafening silence on the contribution of female liberators, especially in National Peace and Reconciliation Commission hearings. They called on civil society organizations, commissions, and government departments to facilitate peace and reconciliation platforms where female war veterans can contribute to the discourse on peace, justice, and reconciliation.
The meeting made reference to section 23 (2) of the Constitution, ‘the State must take reasonable measures, including legislative measures, for the welfare and economic empowerment of veterans of the liberation struggle’. The state was challenged to ensure that this section of the constitution is implemented through the creation of an enabling legal environment to compensate all war veterans.
Female war veterans are demanding that the legislators expedite the realignment and adoption of the war veterans act.
The delegates also resolved to form a women-specific war veterans association which will cater for women war veterans from different political persuasions and convictions.
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Source: Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD)
