Chronicle Editor
Dr Obert Moses Mpofu
ZIMBABWE has a very unique history. The tale of this great nation cannot be told without mentioning the pivotal role that many of its gallant sons and daughters played in the liberation of this majestic land.
The idea was and has always been not only to liberate our nation, but to safeguard the gains of our liberation struggle.
This is perhaps the most important task we have at hand. The liberation of our great nation in itself would be meaningless if we did not put in place mechanisms to protect the freedoms that were attained and are enjoyed as a result of the sacrifices that many of our heroes made towards the emancipation of Zimbabwe.
Many yearned to see a free and prosperous Zimbabwe, but most of them were not fortunate enough to see the day Zimbabwe was freed from the bondage and chains of our former colonial masters. It is thus befitting that we celebrate our Heroes’ Day and Defence Forces Day concurrently. These two days symbolise some of the key pillars of our nation. Zimbabwe was liberated by those who gave up their lives for a free nation and the torch was passed to our Defence Forces to ensure that, that which had been hardly fought for and gained was well kept.
Freedom is very easy to lose, but regaining it can be a mammoth task. Countless lives were lost in the quest for this freedom which we now enjoy. The years of our armed struggle was the most difficult moment in our history as a people. We should never lay sacrilege to this freedom that many in the opposition circles seem to not have an inkling of an idea as to its origins.
What our unwise colleagues in the opposition fail to realise is that, we all owe a duty to Zimbabwe, to defend the freedoms we have and the gains of our liberation struggle. Some of us have been fortunate enough to have participated in the thick of the liberation struggle and lived to see a free Zimbabwe. It is the fear of relapsing into that dark place, where we were subjugated and treated inhumanly that has kept Zanu-PF going.
Zanu-PF still regards itself as a liberation movement and takes the task of defending Zimbabwe with the utmost seriousness.
I can safely say, this is the reason for my Party’s very existence. We will defend Zimbabwe until the very end. The opposition is composed of many unwise counterparts who would rather have Zimbabwe fall back into the hands of our erstwhile former colonisers.
Zanu-PF may have played the most critical role in liberating our nation, but the onus is now upon all of us to ensure that we do not lose the freedom that was fought for.
The journey towards true and complete emancipation is not an easy one. It is a long and treacherous road riddled with many traps with enemies waiting to derail our progress at the next earliest opportunity.
The enemy has not and will not rest until they have their way with us.
They are praying that those who truly understand the importance of defending our freedom die off, so that they can find their way back in.
The notion of a free Zimbabwe has never really sat well with them. All freedom fighters have always been regarded as the enemy by our former colonisers. This is why, the Zanu-PF Party under President Mnangagwa has made deliberate efforts to capacitate the Chitepo School of Ideology with the goal of decolonising the mind of the African and Zimbabwean child. Through the efforts of the Chitepo School of Ideology, a new Zimbabwean with a deep yearning to defend their nation is created. By so doing, a new hero with the right frame of ideology is born. This is the only way to ensure that the gains of our liberation struggle are not lost and that the efforts of those who died to free this country were not in vain.
There should be deliberate efforts to ensure that we create the right kind of Zimbabwean capable of defending their nation through whatever situation.
The era of nationalists and nationalism should not be left to die. That fire should be kept burning, fed by a new generation born in a free Zimbabwe and one which understands the importance of safeguarding such freedoms.
The opposition should thus be a patriotic opposition that is capable of also pushing Zimbabwe’s agenda forward at whatever cost. The task of ensuring a prosperous Zimbabwe should not rest on Zanu-PF’s shoulders alone.
Our success will be hastened if all of us band together to push for Zimbabwe’s interests and not call for the destruction of our nation through sanctions. Nothing should ever come in the way of the interests of our great nation. Selling out should be inconceivable and any such thoughts or acts should strike fear and panic in the hearts of all true Zimbabweans.
As we celebrate our Heroes’ and Defence Forces’ Days on 12 and 13 August respectively, let us all take heed of the sacrifices that were made as well as the important role that our defence forces play in safeguarding our nation.
Most importantly, we should all acknowledge and accept the role that we have to play in defence of our nation, for this is a collective effort as we are all Zimbabwe’s heroes tasked with championing our own cause as we march towards Vision 2030 and guaranteed prosperity in a “middle-income” society. Zimbabwe is for all of us and the duty to defend her falls upon all of us.
Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is an academic and the Secretary-General of Zanu-PF. He writes in his own capacity.
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