THE National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) congratulates and joins all Zimbabweans in celebrating the day that marks the sacrifices made towards the attainment of our independence.
As NCA, we wish to make the following important observations in respect of this important day:
lHeroes Day commemorations are an appropriate and befitting celebration of heroic sacrifices made to usher into being our great nation.
lIt is important to acknowledge that Heroes Day is a national annual event which must unite us as a nation seeing that we are collective beneficiaries of men and women of courage who rose to pay the ultimate price for our liberation.
lThe NCA indeed encourages the government to continue on the path of ensuring that war veterans and collaborators are given the means to be productive and self-sufficient.
lWe call upon all Zimbabweans to reflect closely and carefully on the selflessness of our heroes who perished in search of an ideal nation to whom we owe respect for making our country a great nation.
lThe NCA, takes this opportunity to encourage all Zimbabweans to commemorate responsibly in light of the global pandemic taking all precautions to avoid new infections.
lAs NCA, we support the vaccination programme by government.
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All Zimbabweans must take advantage of this vaccination programme to get vaccinated. They should continue to maintain social distance and continue to mask up to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Madock Chivasa NCA spokesperson
Did our liberation heroes die for a cause?
THE Election Resource Centre (ERC) joins the rest of Zimbabwe in commemorating Heroes Day.
This day is celebrated annually on the second Monday of August in recognition of the sacrifices of all those that fought to liberate the country.
The ERC recognises the contribution of the liberation war heroes who sacrificed their lives to liberate the country from colonial rule and commemorates the gains attained through the liberation struggle. These gains include the right to universal suffrage and the right to free and fair elections.
ERC acknowledges how Zimbabwean war heroes and heroines subordinated their personal interests to the collective interest of Zimbabwe. They accepted and endured pain, suffering and brutality with fortitude, even death for the right to vote.
However, the country is yet to achieve the gains of the liberation struggle. Forty-one years after independence, Zimbabweans living in the diaspora are still not yet able to vote.
There is little efficacy in the conduct of elections in Zimbabwe.
Consequently, the right to universal suffrage, which was fought for can only be truly achieved in an environment conducive for free and fair elections.
The right to universal suffrage can only be truly achieved when reforms to the electoral laws are instituted.
A deep reflection by all electoral stakeholders is important for us to have an environment that allows for a credible, free and fair poll. Zimbabwe cannot be free when its electoral laws are defective, hence the urgent need for reforms. Wishing Zimbabwe many happy returns on this year’s Heroes’ Day celebrations! ERC
Nation must remember ideals of our yesteryear heroes
EACH year, Zimbabwe sets aside a day to remember the heroes and heroines who stood up against oppression and all forms of human rights violations.
Today, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum joins the rest of the country in commemorating this day and saluting the living and departed heroes and heroines of the continuing struggle against all forms of domination, oppression and violation of human rights.
The forum acknowledges that the work of the heroes and heroines of the armed struggle will never be complete until all the people of Zimbabwe are truly free and their rights and freedoms are respected and protected.
Regrettably, this day has lost meaning for the generality of the people owing to the increasing insecurity for many vulnerable people due to the worsening economic situation, rising political tensions and the unending attack by the State on vulnerable citizens.
This Heroes Day is an opportunity for us as a nation to reflect on the long-forgotten ideals of heroes of yesteryear, including respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by chapter 4 of our Constitution.
The 2021 Heroes Day commemorations occur when continuous violence is being perpetrated against civilians for political expediency.
The forum laments the cyclic human rights violations being perpetuated the security forces, which are the heirs of the armed struggle heroes.
The State has failed to capture human security ideals and transform itself in the service of human dignity.
In every Heroes Day statement issued by the State since independence, commitments to human rights have been rhetoric or cosmetic at best, which has resulted in further repression. The security sector remains at the centre of violence, which the forum continues to condemn.
The war on human dignity spreads beyond the State’s direct violence, as witnessed on August 1, 2018; January 14, 2019 and the COVID-19 lockdown violations.
As the nation reflects on the work and ideals of our yesteryear heroes, the question that all citizens have is: “Is this the Zimbabwe our heroes envisaged?”
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
