Second Republic comes to our aid: War victims

ZIMBABWE War Victims Association (ZWVA) founder, Vongai Mutokoti’s trailblazing journey in empowering people who were disabled during liberation war is an inspiration to many leaders in the community.

Mutokoti, was amputated at the age of 14 following a landmine explosion in 1976.

But that was not a deterrent, her outstanding work has led to the conferment of the Independence Medal by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Mutokoti told Zim Community News that ZWVA is there to engage the government and other stakeholders on issues to do with liberation war victims.

“Our government is helping to integrate our constituency into the mainstream economy through various initiatives that include self-sustaining and nation building programmes,” she said.

Mutokoti does not hide her joy on the role Mnangagwa’s government has played in empowering her constituency through various projects that are spread around the country.

Mnangagwa launched the National Disability Policy of Zimbabwe in 2021.

The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare’s National Director of Disability Affairs oversees the implementation of the disability policy.

“The Second Republic has improved the welfare of people living with disabilities as a result of the war of liberation.

“Most of them are benefiting from the various livelihood programmes that have been initiated under the able leadership of President Mnangagwa.”

The association has also benefitted from piggery projects initiated by the government in Midlands, Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North provinces among others.

“We are expecting goats projects soon, currently we are busy constructing chicken houses every individual will be given 1 000 birds to rear.

To cap it all government has provided chicken feed and linked them with buyers of the chicken .

“We are also benefitting from the President State Lotteries Fund and have undergone business training workshops.

She added that she also supported government’s efforts in capacitating disabled people in the country.

“We have our colleagues who are disabled but not through war they have been capacitated in the education sector some of them are now doctors and lawyers.”

“When a country is united we achieve more, we  don’t want people who create divisions for personal  gain.”