Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri, Features Reporter
Zimbabwe tomorrow (August 14) celebrates Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day the following day on Tuesday.
Heroes Day is a public holiday set aside on the second Monday of August every year to celebrate Zimbabwe’s gallant heroes and heroines both living and departed who fought the liberation war to free the country from the yoke of white settler rule.
Defence Forces Day is marked in honour of the restive efforts by the country’s defence forces in ensuring that peace and tranquillity prevail in the country.
This year the 2023 National Heroes celebrations will be held under the theme, “Remembering Our Heroes – Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo”. The event will be presided over by President Mnangagwa and all the 196 heroes and heroines’ families have been invited.
The 2023 Defence Forces Day will be celebrated under the theme, “Brick by Brick, Stone Upon Stone – Zimbabwe Defence Forces: Creating a Conducive Environment for the Attainment of Vision 2030”.
Cabinet recently said the Heroes Day commemorations will also be held in all the other country’s provinces and districts, but the Defence Forces Day celebrations will be limited to the provinces.
The Bulawayo Business community joins the rest of the nation in celebrating Heroes and Defence Forces days as the holidays honour heroes who brought economic emancipation of the indigenous people who are now able to participate in different sectors of the economy.
In an interview, economic commentator and businessman Mr Morris Mpala paid tribute to veterans of the liberation struggle, both departed and living, for their gallant fight against the colonisers.
“To our national heroes and heroines that paid the ultimate sacrifice for us to be who we are as a nation, we are so much indebted. We need to continue economically emancipating our nation as a thank you to all of them. We do also appreciate our defence forces for the part they have and are still playing in building up our sovereign nation into a secure country,” he said.
Businesswoman in the retail sector Mrs Sindiso Siwela said Heroes Day was a reflection of the nation’s spirit, sacrifice, and journey towards independence.
“We laud our national heroes and heroines and words can never amount to the recognition and honour they truly deserve. Their narratives are the tales of fierce, resilient and determined heroines that played a pivotal role in the country’s liberation struggle.
We have access to land, it is because of them, as female farmers we are also playing a pivotal role in contributing to the food security of the nation so that the county regains and retains the breadbasket of the Southern African region status,” she said.
Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) Matabeleland Chapter chairman Mr Bekezela Moyo who is also the managing director of Allied Security and Curry Mine, said they appreciated the sacrifices of the liberation heroes and heroines.
“As a chamber, we appreciate the sacrifices of our liberation heroes and heroines who opened doors for indigenous Zimbabweans to access various sectors of the economy that were previously a preserve for the whites.
These include large-scale commercial farming, mining, manufacturing and international trade (import and export). We are privileged through the hard work of our defence forces that our country is peaceful which is necessary for successful trade and commerce. The defence forces protect Zimbabwe, its people, its national interests and defend the country’s independence.”
MAC Motors managing director, Mr Mackenzie Dongo who was also recently appointed ZNCC Matabeleland chapter vice-president said the freedom brought about by the national heroes and heroines has allowed businesses to flourish.
“As we celebrate Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day we cherish the peace that is prevailing in our country and the freedom associated with it which is an essential requisite for any business to thrive. It is such freedom and peace that allows businesses to grow and flourish and foreign direct investments (FDIs) to flow into the country thereby contributing towards national economic growth,” said Mr Dongo.
A miner, Ms Hlengiwe Mpofu said post-independence, Zimbabwe, just like any other country, has seen a number of women joining the mining sector and breaking barriers in the male-dominated sector.
“We are a product of the sacrifices that were made for the country to attain independence. The sacrifices that our forefathers and foremothers, as well as fathers and mothers made during the liberation struggle go a long way in as far as giving us an opportunity to establish ourselves.
Now we are into more meaningful professional, formalised and environmentally friendly mining enterprises because we are operating in a free and safe environment. We are now operating and free to participate in the mainstream economy of our country which we could not do when our country was still under the yoke of the colonialists,” she said.
A businessman in the foundry sector, Mr Tirivacho Tarubuda said Heroes Day is a day to appreciate the gallantry exhibited by the sons and daughters of the soil in the fight against the repressive Smith regime. He said they sacrificed their lives to liberate the country from the yoke of colonialism.
Bit Bags managing director, Mr Louis Herbst said in celebration of the selfless and untiring actions of the fallen and living heroes and heroines, the men and women whose backgrounds and stories are as diverse as the nation itself, gave their lives to win the freedom and protect the safety of the country.
Mr Herbst who is also the Captains of Industry and Residents Association president and the ZNCC Matabeleland chapter past vice-president said on Heroes Day, people should come together, as Zimbabweans and as comrades to honour the heroes and heroines with both public ceremonies and private remembrances.
He said reaching out to the families and relatives of the heroes and heroines will go a long way to show compassion to them. He said the defence forces were a cornerstone of state and human security as they defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests of the country.
In line with the provisions of National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), the national blueprint central to Zimbabwe’s aspirations of attaining an upper middle-income society by 2030, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) continues to undertake socio-economic development projects.
These include the construction of bridges, classroom blocks, clinics and conducting outreach medical programmes such as Covid-19 vaccinations and removal of eye cataracts from people with eyesight challenges in disadvantaged communities, as part of the ZDF’s mission of providing military assistance to civil ministries and civil communities.
As enshrined in Section 212 of the Constitution, the ZDF is mandated to defend the country’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests; a task that calls for high standards of training, intellectual ability, integrity and great aptitude by all members of the defence forces.
Online Reporter