By Nigel Pfunde
HARARE- The Friends of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, FOVLS, an affiliate of the ruling party ZANU-PF, has appointed multi-award-winning communications expert, journalist and development practitioner Takemore Mazuruse as its new National Provincial Chairman and National Spokesman.
Mazuruse’s entry brings a sophisticated approach to the organization’s narrative building, a move that has quickly translated into enhanced public visibility and critical corporate partnerships. FOVLS operates as a registered Private Voluntary Organisation since commencing operations in 2022.
The PVO carries a structural mandate to safeguard and promote the memory of the liberation struggle, primarily by restoring resting places and educating citizens on national heritage.
Mazuruse in (khaki jackets) introduces well-wishers and executive members to War Veterans League National Chairman and Secretary to the Politburo Cde Douglas Mahiya
Mazuruse’s appointment aligns with an aggressive push by FOVLS to scale its ongoing restorative infrastructure projects. Working in close coordination with the Ministry of War Veterans Affairs, the Zimbabwe National War Veterans League, and National Museums and Monuments, the organization has already completed intensive clean-up campaigns and fully rehabilitated 52 graves that were lying in a state of neglect at the Harare Provincial Heroes Acre.
Looking ahead to its next operational phase, the organization confirmed its expansion plans, stating: “Plans are afoot to rehabilitate a further 400 plus graves at the state while incorporating other landscaping features as the programme moves to other provincial shrines.”
To drive these capital-intensive preservation projects, Mazuruse is leveraging a deep professional profile shaped over two decades at the intersection of media and corporate communications. He began his career in 2006 as a junior reporter with The Voice newspaper at the ZANU-PF headquarters, eventually expanding his expertise into high-level advocacy, lobbying, public relations and fundraising communication.
Over twenty years, Mazuruse has championed successful communication campaigns for a diverse portfolio of local and international brands, including manufacturing and retail giants, non-governmental organizations, banks and blue-chip companies.
This corporate pedigree has already altered the operational trajectory of FOVLS, shifting it from a traditional fraternal association into a highly organized entity capable of attracting serious private-sector backing. Under Mazuruse’s strategic guidance, the PVO has successfully locked in material and financial support from a growing coalition of prominent industrial and engineering brands.
The organization highlighted that this fresh communication approach has directly resulted in support from the private sector. “receiving enhanced visibility while getting support from brands like Geo Pomona Pvt Ltd, Fumati Engineers, Mountings Pvt Ltd, Mountings Investments Pvt Ltd, Victory Chasers among others,” FOVLS said, effectively securing the corporate runway needed to execute its massive upcoming shrine rehabilitation pipeline.
