MONDAY, 5.00PM
The judicial commission of inquiry into the fraudulent disbursement of Z$1,5-billion from Zimbabwe’s War Victims’ Compensation Fund opened on Monday with Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Florence Chitauro blaming loopholes for the abuse of the fund.
Chitauro told commission chairman Justice Chidyausiku that the War Victims’ Compensation Act was fraught with “weaknesses”, Ziana news agency reported. Failure to interpret the Act, administrative problems and lack of cut-off points for compensation were some of the problems that allowed looting of the fund, Chitauro said.
Underfunding of the War Veterans’ Fund saw ex-freedom fighters rushing to seek compensation under the War Victims’ Compensation Fund when they could have been catered for under the veterans fund. “The War Veterans’ Fund was supposed to take care of the plight of war veterans. It was supposed to take care of most of the things that war veterans are now complaining about … Had this been taken care of I think the problem we are having now could have been actually reduced,” said Chitauro.
Following press reports and anonymous letters highlighting fraudulent abuse of the war victims’ fund, Chitauro’s ministry suspended payments in March this year to investigate abuse of the fund by undeserving elements. The suspension precipitated a series of demonstrations, some of them violent, by ex-guerrillas demanding their share of the fund.
About Z$1,5-billion was paid out during the past six years, Z$450-million of it between June last year and March this year under the war victims’ fund, established to compensate Zimbabweans injured during the liberation war. Chitauro said last year her ministry bid for Z$30-million for the War Veterans’ Fund, but was only allocated Z$2-million, mostly for administrative costs.
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