MAKONDE MP Kindness Paradza has said scores of children fathered by former Zipra fighters operating in the Makonde area of Mashonaland West at the height of the liberation struggle were battling to acquire birth certificates as they were “fatherless”.
CHIEF REPORTER
Zipra was the armed wing of PF Zapu which waged a protracted guerrilla war together with Zanu PF’s military wing Zanla against colonial rule.
Contributing to debate on the welfare of war veterans in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Paradza said Zipra’s second-largest concentration camp was located in Makonde where the former guerrillas left children without birth certificates.
The abandoned children are over 30 years old and still have no identity papers. Paradza said Zipra forces left Makonde after integration and returned to their home areas leaving the children they had sired behind.
He said these children were suffering due to what he termed “collateral damage”.
According to the official parliamentary publication, Hansard, Paradza read a letter from a woman representing war collaborators in his constituency, Locadia Kutamirepi Chigaro, who wanted the government to remember women who made sacrifices during the liberation war resulting in some being either abused or impregnated by guerrillas.
“I thought I should say something about this motion. When honourable (Ronald) Muderedzwa moved this motion possibly last week, I went to my constituency in Makonde and one lady (Chigaro) who participated in the war of liberation as a chimbwido gave me a letter and said I should read this in Parliament,” said Parazda.
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“What this means Madam Speaker, is that there is this aspect of collateral damage which happened during the war and we seem to forget that there were children who were born and who, up to now, are not aware who their fathers are.
“I can give you an example of Mashonaland West or precisely Makonde. This is where Zipra forces were operating from during the war. At Romeo Assembly Point, which is in the middle of Makonde at Magurekure Primary School, this was where the second-largest camp of Zipra forces was during the ceasefire. The first one was at Gwayi and this was second from Gwayi Assembly Point.
“We have a number of such women in Makonde today, who had these children who, up to today do not know their fathers. It is difficult for them to get IDs. These Zipra forces, after integration, went back to their home areas, some to Matabeleland North, some to Matabeleland South and others to the Midlands, but their kids remained in Makonde. This is the problem that we have,” Paradza added.
