Zanu PF members in Matabeleland North have renewed calls for improved welfare support for widows and families of liberation war heroes.
They also raised concerns over the condition of provincial Heroes Acres and the pace of assistance to dependants, exposing gaps between government programmes and the expectations of beneficiaries.
The demands were raised recently during the party’s provincial inter-district conference in Lupane, where members debated and adopted resolutions to be presented at the party's annual conference scheduled for Chinhoyi in October.
Among the demands are pensions for widows of national heroes equivalent to those their deceased spouses were receiving, comprehensive medical cover for war veterans and their families, vehicles for widows, the upgrading of provincial heroes acres, and the reburial of liberation war heroes who have not yet been accorded the status and burial they deserve.
One party member said the welfare of widows should not end with the recognition accorded to their late spouses.
“We have always been calling for the widows of national heroes to receive pensions equivalent to what their deceased spouses were receiving,” the member said.
“We believe this is important because these women were left behind after their spouses made sacrifices during the liberation struggle. We have also been calling for comprehensive medical cover that benefits all war veterans and their families.”
Another member said the government should ensure that provincial heroes acres are maintained to a standard befitting their status.
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“We are asking the government to upgrade the provincial heroes acres and facilitate the reburial of heroes who died during the liberation struggle but have not yet been accorded the honour they deserve,” the member said.
“We call for the Heroes Acres in the provinces to be upgraded so that they are properly maintained and befitting of the people who sacrificed their lives for the country.”
The members also called for widows of national heroes to receive vehicles to assist them with mobility and day-to-day activities. “These are issues that we have raised repeatedly, and we want to see them addressed because the welfare of war veterans, their widows and their families should remain a priority,” the member said.
The demands come against the backdrop of existing legislation and government programmes providing for the welfare of veterans and dependants.
The National Heroes Act recognises widows and children of national, provincial and district heroes as dependants and provides for state assistance through the Heroes’ Dependants Assistance Fund.
The law allows assistance to be provided either as a lump sum, periodically or through a combination of payments, with assistance to a widow potentially continuing for the rest of her life.
The Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act also provides for pensions, education assistance, medical and dental benefits and funeral assistance for qualifying veterans, their spouses and dependants.
The government has continued to announce measures aimed at addressing veterans’ welfare.
The 2026 national budget allocated ZiG1.1 billion to the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs for monthly gratuities, medical benefits, educational assistance, funeral grants and empowerment programmes.
The government also said it would expedite the finalisation of a memorialisation framework covering the exhumation, reburial and repatriation of liberation war remains.
The 2025 budget had similarly allocated ZiG807.3 million to the ministry, including funding for veterans’ welfare, medical benefits, funeral grants, educational assistance and the identification, exhumation and reburial of former freedom fighters.
The government has also established programmes for heroes’ dependants.
The Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs says its Heroes' Dependants Assistance Department is responsible for welfare coordination, registration and statutory assistance for eligible dependants of national heroes.
But in Matabeleland North, the condition of the Lupane Provincial Heroes Acre has been a long-standing concern.
In 2023, reports highlighted complaints about neglect at the shrine, including vandalised tombstones and a damaged perimeter fence.
At the time, only about half of the more than 30 graves reportedly had tombstones, while others were marked by concrete structures or mounds of soil.
The government subsequently declared the Matabeleland North Provincial Heroes Acre a national monument in 2024.
Last year, the government also distributed tombstones to families of liberation war heroes in the province, with the then Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister, Richard Moyo, confirming that families had begun receiving them.
Moyo, however, acknowledged that the concerns raised at the party conference would have to compete with other priorities.
Commenting on the demand to upgrade the Lupane Heroes Acre, Moyo said the provincial administration wanted all graves at the shrine properly marked and the site secured.
“Lupane has been having challenges with the tombstones,” he said.
“Heroes have passed on and we need to ensure that their graves are properly marked like those of other heroes. I have heard that in some provinces they have started putting up tombstones.”
He said the province also needed to address security at the site after the perimeter fence was vandalised.
“We had a fence which was put up by a donor, but people stole the fencing material. If another fence can be put up which cannot easily be stolen, or if there can be security to guard the place so that the fence is not stolen, that would help greatly,” he said.
On the demand for vehicles for widows, Moyo said the proposals would have to be considered alongside other resolutions emerging from the conference.
“Some of these things are resolutions and wishes of the people. When the time comes, some of the resolutions will have to be considered, including which ones are emergencies,” he said.
