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Harare - Hundreds of hardline supporters of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe will stage a show of strength in support of the veteran president in the capital on Wednesday, say organisers.Joseph Chinotimba, vice-president of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWA), said: "The solidarity march is in support of President Robert Mugabe and his policies.Chinotimba added: "We, as war veterans, do not know any other leader besides President Mugabe. The solidarity march will be a seal of his policies as he has done everything for this country. Full stop."Mugabe, leader of the former British colony of Rhodesia since independence in 1980, had often used the so-called war veterans to intimidate opponents to his rule and they were at the vanguard of farm occupations during his controversial land reform programme, which began in 2000.While some of the veterans did take part in the war against the all-white regime of Ian Smith, many were not born before 1980.Zimbabwe's economy was in meltdown, with inflation running at more than 7 600%. Mugabe had blamed the country's woes on a limited series of Western sanctions imposed after he allegedly rigged his re-election in 2002.Many observers had traced the start of Zimbabwe's economic troubles to Mugabe's decision to cave in to demands from the veterans in 1997 for improved pensions and benefits.Some pretenders posing as war veterans cashed in on a flawed vetting system and benefited from the government compensation fund.As in the days of Noah...
