Be guided by desire for peace, nation urged

Speaking at the 60th birthday and graduation bash of the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Dr Obert Mpofu, at the Mpofu homestead in Nyamandlovu Village Four on Saturday, Dr Nkomo said a society builds itself through its people, influenced by desires and problems.
He appealed to Zimbabweans to work together and be guided by a desire for a peaceful nation that would make it better than “yesterday”.
The Mpofu family organised a double celebration bash for Dr Mpofu after he attained a doctorate through the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU), which focused on an analysis of the tripartite negotiations in Zimbabwe.
“The struggle for liberation was not a game, people were detained for many years without seeing their families and not knowing what their fate was like. As Zimbabweans, we can only be peaceful when we know where we come from and where we are going,” said Dr Nkomo.
“Obert Mpofu attained this because he has travelled a long journey. It is in style to keep closer to a trained person and we should learn from such people like him. Our PhDs on policy making should start developing a direction for building a new Zimbabwe. Let us move forward together and stop asking too many questions about the past as that has a tendency of being divisional.”
Dr Nkomo challenged leaders to put the future of the country first.
He said there were some who wanted to reverse the gains of independence and warned there was no going back especially on the land reform.
“Let us all be guided by the future of these children than to keep disagreeing and fighting. To the youths I say what you find in the world was built by people like Dr Mpofu to give the future generations good infrastructure and you should also be involved in development,” he said.
Dr Nkomo said Dr Mpofu was successful because he took advice and urged youths to be committed and avoid greed to defend the country’s heritage.
He said it was through education that the country could move forward peacefully.
“There is a need that we seek an understanding of other people and endeavour to have a shared view with others. Do not be in the habit of condemning others when you are doing nothing,” he said, while also referring to the country’s detractors.
“Worshipping should not make our people blind to development. God gave our leaders a challenge and now we have people like Dr Mpofu to be of service to Zimbabwe to bring development. He gave us dominion over our resources.”
Dr Nkomo castigated the Western media for misleading people that the Government was grabbing land, saying the country was only taking back its land from colonisers.
He said the country faced serious challenges from those who are being used as puppets of the Western countries to reverse the gains of independence and delay development.
Dr Nkomo said such people were being disrespectful to the late Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo as they were also using his name for electioneering and to gain political mileage.
“There are some of us who are recruited by the West and become servants of the West. Lize lithethise umuntu omdala uJoshua? Esintwini umuntu omdala kaqambi manga, akukhulumileyo kuyahlonitshwa. Today we have some opportunists who have hijacked his name,” said Dr Nkomo.
“Lingaze lathengisa. We have gold and diamonds and some people would want to tell us that this is white man’s land. The whites never told us about these minerals all along because they wanted to continue exploiting us.
“If you remember the land issue almost broke the Lancaster House talks as the whites did not want to let go of the land because of the minerals and we did not know this was why they were being adamant. I want to thank our leaders, Dr Nkomo and Cde Mugabe, for their wisdom which made sure we have a free Zimbabwe.”
He expressed disappointment on the way the country’s detractors insult President Mugabe over the land issue.
“Some say laduba ngokuthatha umhlabathi ngalindlela. Sasizawuthatha njani? We are only taking back our land that they had grabbed,” said Dr Nkomo.
He said the Government was not prepared to sacrifice the hard-earned independence and hand the country back to slavery, adding that those who fought the liberation war did not live to enjoy its fruits.
Dr Nkomo lashed out at corrupt leaders who have allocated resources to themselves, saying they should consider the plight of poor citizens.
ZOU Vice-Chancellor Dr Primrose Kurasha said Dr Mpofu had made the institution proud for being one of the first three people to attain a doctorate from it.
She said with people like Dr Mpofu, the country would not go wrong in its policies.
“He humbled and allowed himself to be taught. With such people we would not go wrong in educating the nation and fulfilling the mandate of the Government to afford people quality sustainable education,” she said.
Cde Naison Ndlovu, Senator for Insiza and Zanu-PF Politburo member, said Dr Mpofu succeeded because he took advice from his seniors.
The Minister of Defence, Emmerson Mnangagwa, challenged youths to emulate Dr Mpofu and take education as an important part of social development.
Dr Mpofu also expressed gratitude to his family and Dr Kurasha for encouraging him to further his studies and jokingly said he was meant to “rewrite the Bible” for Zimbabwe.