Online Reporter
Fungai Lupande and Joseph Madzimure, Harare Bureau
YOUTHS in Mashonaland Central province are set to benefit from a 259-hectare housing scheme that will be launched by President Mnangagwa during the Munhumutapa Day commemorations on Tuesday.
More than 100 000 people are expected for the festivities.
Roads leading into Mvurwi have been rehabilitated and the venue is more than 95 percent complete, according to organisers, with transport and food logistics already in place.
President Mnangagwa has since declared Munhumutapa Day a public holiday.
Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central province chairperson Cde Kazembe Kazembe said the province was ready to host the celebrations.
“We have arranged everything transport is ready and all logistics are sorted out,” he said.
People from all eight districts of the province — Bindura, Mbire, Guruve, Mount Darwin, Rushinga, Shamva, Mazowe, Muzarabani — are expected to attend. A final inspection of the venue is scheduled tomorrow.
Empowerment
The highlight of this year’s celebrations is the launch of the Munhumutapa Housing Scheme, through which 2 000 youths will be allocated stands on
59 hectares in Mvurwi, as well as 100 ha each at Kimcourt in Centenary and Bindura.
“The event will kick-start with President Mnangagwa launching a housing scheme specifically for the youth in Mashonaland Central province. We have 59 hectares of land in Mvurwi 100ha at Kimcourt, Centenary 100 hectares in Bindura,” said Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs Cde John Paradza.
“We are very proud of our President, and it is our duty to defend his legacy. We expect more than 2 000 youths to receive homes that will be delivered by President Mnangagwa.”
Overall, more than 30 000 youths from across the country’s ten provinces will be in attendance.
Cde Paradza also said the housing scheme, first launched by President Mnangagwa in Masvingo three years ago, has now been rolled out in all 10 provinces, with most sites nearly 85 percent complete.
The allocation of stands is part of broader empowerment initiatives that are being spearheaded by the President in sectors such as transport, mining and construction.
“It (Munhumutapa Day) is more than just another public holiday it’s an opportunity for Zimbabwe to remember, celebrate and reconnect with the history, heritage and achievements of the Mutapa civilisation that existed long before colonial rule,” added Cde Paradza.
“On 15 September, Zimbabwe turns its attention to this important chapter of our history — giving communities, families and especially young people an opportunity to learn where we come from and appreciate the civilisation built by our ancestors.
“As Zimbabwe builds towards Vision 2030, understanding our past helps us appreciate the responsibility we have to build the future.”
Cde Paradza thanked President Mnangagwa for acceding to the Youth League’s request to declare September 15 a public holiday.
“As youths, we are excited with the decision by President Mnangagwa and his administration to declare the Munhumutapa Day not only as a national day but as a public holiday,” Cde Paradza said, calling the move evidence of a “listening President”.
Supporting the President
Zanu-PF Secretary for the Commissariat in the Youth League Cde Tsungai Makumbe, who is also Mazowe North Member of Parliament, urged youths to attend in large numbers. “My main message to the youth is that they should turn out in large numbers to support the President and celebrate his birthday, but without forgetting to maintain discipline,” she said.
Events held ahead of Tuesday’s commemorations include the
Munhumutapa Half Marathon held in Mvurwi yesterday, which Cde Kazembe said reflected the importance of community mobilisation and healthy living.
“Today’s event is not simply a marathon. It is a statement of purpose. It is a declaration that our communities will not surrender their young people to the scourge of drugs and substance abuse,” he said.
The marathon combined sport, health education, first aid training, medical outreach and community mobilisation.
He commended organisers Marathons for ED and the Zanu-PF Youth League, saying the fight against drug and substance abuse was a collective responsibility.
Munhumutapa, he added, represented the origins of Zimbabwean civilisation and governance.
“Just like the ancestors built Great Zimbabwe stone by stone, stone upon stone, the President is also building this country brick upon brick, stone upon stone,” he said.
Munhumutapa was the title given to rulers of the pre-colonial Mutapa Empire, whose territory largely covered present-day Zimbabwe.
The kingdom is credited with the construction of the Great Zimbabwe Monument, built from locally available granite stones assembled without mortar using indigenous engineering skills.
The title, loosely translated as “the one who conquers”, symbolises visionary leadership, resilience and nation-building – themes organisers say the President embodies through the mantra “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo.”
