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of the liberation struggle, war veterans have said.
Speaking during a tour of Chimoio shrines by war veterans and Zanu-PF youths at the weekend, ex-combatants, some of them survivors of the Chimoio massacre, said it was imperative for the youths to know where they came from.
About 200 Zanu-PF youths and war veterans from Glen View South Constituency and Tembwe district (Epworth) visited Chimoio shrines to acquaint themselves with the history of the liberation struggle.
Thousands perished in raids on November 23, 1977 at Chimoio.
Head of delegation, Retired Brigadier Bornface Mao Hurungudo, said youths are the backbone of the country and were supposed to appreciate their history.
“Youths are the future of the country and for them to protect the legacy of the armed struggle they have to know their history.
“They cannot protect what they don’t know. It is important that all the youths irrespective of which party they belong should visit such places.
“When we were fighting the enemy we were not doing it to free Zanu-PF only but everyone,” he said.
“It is the future of our country that we are interested in and we want that legacy of the liberation struggle to be protected,” he said.
Chimoio attack survivor, Cde Washington Bangalila, said parents should teach their children about the liberation struggle.
“Some of us achieved what we wanted when we went to war by defeating the enemy. Now it is up to us parents to make our children aware of the enemy’s tactics in trying to re-colonise us.
“We want all generations to know where we came from so that they can appreciate what we will be saying when we say the country should never be a colony again,” he said.
Another Chimoio survivor, Cde Conrad Nyagwanya said: “It is very disheartening to hear some people saying dzokerai munosungirira nyika payanga iri, tigoisunungura.”
The youths pledged to tell their colleagues of the pain and sacrifice that characterised the liberation struggle.
Glen View One district Zanu-PF youth secretary for Administration, Cde Claudious Mutongwizo, said it was important for the country’s leadership to make all the youths to such shrines.
“It is important that the youths see some of the things that our colonisers did.
“When the youths are empowered it strengthens and broadens our base as youths even those who were against the liberation struggle.
“We urge the National Museums and Monuments to maintain these shrines because they carry very important history,” he said.
Youth chairman for the same district, Cde Ngonidzashe Kanhenga said: “We want to urge the Government to introduce such programmes in schools from primary to tertiary education.
“Students should visit these shrines to know what the enemy did so that they can see the need to protect the country from the enemy.”
Youth Affairs treasurer for Glen View One District, Cde Tsitsi Tawomera said: “We have learnt how important it is for us to protect our struggle because now we know what our heroes went through,
getting it from people who survived from the massacre.”
Another youth, Nomatter Mashozhera said: “The future of our country is in the youths and we feel they should learn about what happened.
“Now we know that it is important to protect the country and from what we have heard, I think (Ian) Smith should have been given a death sentence for this.”
Online Reporter