Youths and political pressure groups from Matabeleland last week issued a joint statement calling for the transformation of the region’s political landscape by elevating youths into top leadership positions.
The statement released over the weekend to coincide with commemorations of the Day of the African Child, was co-signed by representatives from MDC, Zapu, Mthwakazi Liberation Front, Ibhetshu LikaZulu, Generation Mthwakazi, Zapu FP, Patriotic Union of Matabeleland (Puma) and Zimbabwe Unemployed People’s Union (Zupa).
Part of the statement read: “Every generation has a part to play, every generation has a duty to fulfil, every generation has a people to liberate and a society to protect.
“A new age must begin. An age of freedom must be established, free men and women must be born. It is a duty we owe ourselves, it is a duty we owe our forefathers and it is a gift we must pass down to our children.
“When our fathers were conscripted into the Zipra army, they, like their forefathers, took up to the call without fear. They were promised freedom, they, like brave men, fought to the bitter end, they like warriors, conquered. After the war, they surrendered their weapons for they had won the war, and truly they had won the war.
“We beg for survival every day, we are forced to steal, speak a language we do not understand. We are denied fundamental freedoms and rights.
“We must remember that the sorrows we have had to endure for countless years, bound us together, that we are made stronger by our problems, and that our choices today will liberate generations and generations.”
