The war veterans have gone further and passed a vote of no confidence in their leader, Jabulani Sibanda, whom they accused of failing to defend them and instead siding with people who wanted to block their visits to the shrine, which some consider sacred.
They plan to have a major cleansing ceremony on July 7, which they insisted would go ahead despite opposition from the party.
Matters came to a head, the war veterans said, when Sibanda, instead of supporting their cause, described them as “renegades”.
In a letter to Zanu PF politburo and provincial governors, war veterans’ publicity secretary, George Kativhu said: “He (Sibanda) could not get details from us as our leader, but labelled us renegades.”
Kativhu, who confirmed having written the letter, accused Sibanda of destroying Zanu PF and meeting with Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa and local chiefs, when the war veterans were planning their cleansing ceremonies.
Sources said the war veterans wanted Joseph Chinotimba, the self-styled commander of the farm 2000 farm invasions, to take over as leader.
But Chinotimba said he was not aware of the vote of no confidence, but if his colleagues wanted him to take over as chairman, he would gladly do so.“I have always been a leader of the war veterans, if they want me I will take over that portfolio,” he said. “There’s nothing amazing about Chinotimba taking over.”
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Chinotimba confirmed that there was disquiet within the former freedom fighters’ ranks over Sibanda’s leadership, as it was felt that the war veterans’ leader was oblivious to their plight.
“Sibanda and I are in different categories, there is need to address the welfare of war veterans and find out how they are living, but Sibanda is quiet about that. There are problems as some comrades are losing their land but the leadership is quiet,” he said.
Observers say this is endemic of the factionalism in Zanu PF, with one faction using the disgruntled war veterans to frustrate Sibanda.
A source revealed that some party leaders were uncomfortable with Sibanda’s countrywide campaigns, fearing that he wanted a higher post in the party.
The source said this could be a plot to distract Sibanda’s campaigns.
Sibanda was accused of failing to convene a single war veterans meeting and had never addressed the social welfare of the former freedom fighters.But Sibanda shot back insisting that he was still in power, describing those calling for his ouster as, “misguided”.
“I was not chosen by spirit mediums, those are not war veterans,” he said. “It’s just four people and they are being misled by a Jezebel of a woman.”Sibanda charged that the Njelele trip was not sanctioned by either Zanu PF or the war veterans association.
Sibanda seems to have the backing of Zanu PF leadership, with party spokesman Rugare Gumbo saying anyone who went to Njelele should have the blessing of the local leadership.
“No one is going there, if they go they will be arrested,” Gumbo said.
Recently, Zanu PF chairman Simon Khaya Moyo described those who insisted on going to Njelele as hooligans.
But the war veterans have hit back and have instead hired buses from Harare and Bulawayo to Njelele, some 50 kilometres outside Bulawayo.
“Come 7 July and you will see,” Monica Mguni-Sikhosana, one of the leaders of the pilgrimage said. “Some people are opposed to these ceremonies but they will come around. Some of them were also opposed to the land reform programme, but now they have benefited.”
The cleansing ceremonies are reportedly led by a medium only identified as Nehoreka.
“Nehoreka says he has conducted cleansing ceremonies for some of the same people who today do not want us to go, but we will go,” one of the pilgrims said.
