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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 liberating it.
The idea was, and has always been, not only to liberate our nation, but to also safeguard the gains of our liberation struggle.
This is perhaps the most important task we have at hand.
The liberation of our great nation would be meaningless if we did not protect the freedoms that were attained and are being enjoyed as a result of the sacrifices that many of our heroes made towards its emancipation.
Many yearned to see a free and prosperous Zimbabwe but were not fortunate enough to experience this.
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 their lives for a free nation.
The torch has since been passed on to our Defence Forces to ensure that what was fought for and gained is 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 that we now enjoy. The 14 years of our armed struggle were the most difficult in our history.
We should never desecrate this freedom, which many in the opposition seem clueless as to how it came about.
What our ignorant colleagues in the opposition fail to realise is that we owe a duty to Zimbabwe to defend the freedoms we have and the gains of our liberation struggle.
Some of us were fortunate enough to have participated in the liberation struggle and lived to see a free Zimbabwe.
It is the fear of relapsing into that dark place, where we were treated inhumanely, that has kept ZANU PF going.
The party still takes the task of defending Zimbabwe with the utmost seriousness it deserves. I can safely say this is the reason for my party’s very existence.
We will defend Zimbabwe until the very end. The opposition, however, would rather have Zimbabwe fall back into the hands of our former colonisers.
ZANU PF may have played the most critical role of liberating our nation, but the onus is now upon all of us to ensure we do not lose the freedom we fought for.
The journey towards true and complete emancipation is not an easy one.
It is a long and treacherous road, with enemies waiting to derail our progress at the earliest opportunity.
Those in the enemy camp have not and will not rest until they have their way with us. They are praying for the demise of those who understand the importance of defending our freedom in order to find their way back in.
They cannot stand the notion of a free Zimbabwe. All freedom fighters have always been regarded as the enemy by our former colonisers.
This is why ZANU PF, under President Mnangagwa, has made deliberate efforts to capacitate the Chitepo School of Ideology to decolonise the mind of the African and Zimbabwean child.
Through the school, a new Zimbabwean, who yearns to defend their nation, is created.
By so doing, a new hero with the right ideology is born.
This is the only way of ensuring 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.
The era of nationalists and nationalism should not be left to die.
That fire should be kept burning by a new generation born in a free Zimbabwe, which understands the importance of safeguarding such freedoms.
The opposition should, thus, be a patriotic side, which 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.
Nothing should supersede the interests of our great nation.
Selling out should be inconceivable.
As we celebrate our Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day tomorrow and the day after, respectively, let us all take heed of the sacrifices that
were made, as well as the important role 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, since we are all heroes tasked with championing our own cause, as we march towards Vision 2030.
Zimbabwe is for all of us and the duty to defend the country 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.
Online Reporter