National Youth Service (NYS) graduates, commonly known as ‘Green Bombers’, have threatened to physically assault Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives and police officers who are plotting Zanu PF’s electoral loss during the forthcoming harmonized election .
Speaking during a meeting at Banket Sports Club recently, national commander for NYS Tichaona Zimbiru claimed the mobilisation concept used by CIO-linked Forever Associates of Zimbabwe (FAZ) was hijacked from his organisation.
He said the idea was meant to benefit the youth militia.
“As graduates of NYS, we were supposed to be carrying out and earning through what FAZ is doing.
“The concept they are using was hijacked from us after I put the concept proposal and sadly now CIO operatives who are just people who merely sought employment are now running around claiming to protect Zanu PF interests,” Zimbiru said.
Green Bombers who attended for the meeting were ordered to physically discipline CIO and police officers, who are attempting to stop them from carrying out activities to prop ZANU PF.
“Therefore, you do not have to take them as your boss, we only honour and respect the President. Anyone trying to stop us from conducting our duties of defending the party can be beaten, especially these CIO-linked FAZ members,” he said.
Zimbiru also alleged that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has been over the neglecting youth militias.
“We demand recognition and restoration of benefits for NYS graduates who took part in the national youth service training.
“It’s true we have been sidelined and its time we take back our position in ZANU PF like before, although we are partly to blame as we had taken a back seat,” he said.
Tawanda Piriyano, the association’s national member, took a dig at Mashonalnd West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mary Mliswa-Chikoka, whom he described as “an ordinary person with civilian brains.”
“We have to deal with the Minister of State (Mliswa) to remove the civilian brains in her as she is troublesome. We face challenges with her when it comes to access to land to settle on,” Piriyano said.
The commanders also said NYS graduates should benefit from 10 percent shares across all sectors of the country.
They also said they had a letter from the Local Governance permanent secretary which allows them to identify and get land for residential stands for their members within rural district councils.
Under then-president, Robert Mugabe’s rule Green Bombers were directly employed in parastatals and local authorities while a majority of unattached NYS graduates were on the government’s salary payroll.
The curious timing of tabling of grievances by the former NYS trainees raises eyebrows as they come after former Youth Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, who was instrumental in mobilising jobs and other benefits for the defacto youth militia, announced his 2023 Presidential election bid.