Zimbabwe yesterday celebrated its 32nd Independence anniversary — Independence brought about by its liberation war heroes — fallen and living — and, of course, everyone else, including the ordinary folk that played the crucial role of “the fish swimming in the sea” as Mao put it.
The nation remembers and honours the thousands of people who sacrificed their lives to bring Independence to every son and daughter of this country — regardless of political affiliation.
It goes without saying there was no way all Zimbabweans could be members of one political party after 32 years.
There is nowhere in the world where such a scenario could ever be possible.
President Robert Mugabe said it yesterday – that no one should be forced to support any political party. Zimbabweans are free to belong to political parties of their choice and those that want to coerce others to go against their will are misguided and should be stopped, he said.
What Mugabe should perhaps have done was to make it clear that police chief Augustine Chihuri should arrest people that intimidate, beat up or use any kind of force to compel others into showing support for any political party.
Keep Reading
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
He should have made it clear that Attorney-General Johannes Tomana should have these people prosecuted.
The President should also have said without ambiguity that the Chief Justice, Godfrey Chidyausiku, whom the master of ceremonies Webster Shamu curiously referred to as “Comrade Chidyausiku”, should have the judiciary send political criminals to jail — without fear or favour! A quotable quote from Mugabe’s statement yesterday, which those that believe they should do anything to keep him in power must digest was: “We have done wrong to our people because we were fighting among ourselves.
“Let’s ensure that the fights of yesterday are buried in the past and that we organise ourselves on the basis of free choice.”
But while we celebrate our Independence – as we praise and give thanks to the living war veterans who have demanded and received all sorts of tokens of appreciation, including money and farms – there remain thousands of cadres who died and who have been completely forgotten.
Not that we are able to do anything for them directly – other than, of course, giving them decent burials, and not interfering with their remains as has recently been allowed to happen at villages in Mt Darwin and other places. Many died of neglect.
A day like yesterday should find the country reflecting on the condition of families of those heroes who — unlike the hundreds of charlatans turning up claiming to be war veterans when they were not born in 1975 — are nowhere to be found where “land is redistributed to the landless”. Let’s ensure we honour the genuine survivors instead of those climbing aboard Zanu PF’s gravy train.