Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike
Senior Reporter
IN the lofty halls of Zimbabwe’s Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology and the grand campus of Tanzania’s Mwalimu Julius Nyerere School of Leadership, one finds more than bricks and mortar.
These institutions, born from the fires of liberation, continue to kindle the revolutionary spirit across generations.
Both schools stand as intellectual bastions built to nurture revolutionary consciousness.
The Chitepo School in Harare, named after liberation war hero Herbert Chitepo, is designed to instil pan-Africanism, socialism, self-determination and to counter neo-colonialism by educating civil servants, youth, party members and the general citizenry at large.
Meanwhile, the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere School of Leadership in Tanzania was established as the “regional headquarters” for the former Liberation Movements of Southern Africa (FLMSA), channelling the ethos of ujamaa, Julius Nyerere’s model of African socialism, which emphasises collective self-reliance and community upliftment.
Though tailored to different national contexts, both institutions serve overlapping audiences.
Chitepo’s curriculum targets emerging and established Zimbabwean leaders, civil servants and youth, aiming to re-anchor them in liberation ideals and ideological clarity.
The MJNSL, backed by a multi-million grant from China, operates as a regional ideological engine, nurturing cadres across Southern Africa’s former liberation parties-Zimbabwe’s Zanu PF, Tanzania’s Chama Cha Mapinduzi, South Africa’s African National Congress, People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola, Mozambique’s FRELIMO and Namibia’s SWAPO.
Moreover, China, is welcomed as the seventh party among the six liberation movements.
Courses at both institutions reflect their respective legacies, with Chitepo emphasising sovereignty, economic justice and the decolonisation of the mind, while the MJNSL embeds teachings of African socialism, socio-economic self-sufficiency and collective welfare.
Their vision is unified and centred on preserving liberation values and steering future leadership.
In Zimbabwe, the Chitepo School is seen not as a partisan tool, but as a national institution aimed at safeguarding the ideological gains of independence, empowering leaders to craft governance rooted in socialist and nationalist ideals.
In Tanzania, the Nyerere School stands as a beacon for revolutionary continuity for all frontline parties in the FLMSA, reinforcing regional solidarity and ideological coherence.
These schools trace their heritage to the crucible of Southern Africa’s freedom wars. Herbert Chitepo himself was pivotal in the liberation struggle, leading and guiding guerrilla strategy from Tanzania and Mozambique.
Tanzania’s Mwalimu Julius Nyerere championed African socialism and actively supported liberation movements across the region, providing material and moral aid during the anti-colonial struggles.
This shared legacy cements the bond between the schools, both stemming from leaders who understood that ideological conviction was the backbone of freedom, and that education would be the mortar to hold revolutionary values together.
In an era of complex challenges, economic dependency, cultural imperialism, and political fragmentation, these schools stand as vital guardians of liberation ideals.
The Chitepo School is prominently featured in Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 and President Mnangagwa’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind.
It is also embedded in national cadre formation across civil service and leadership structures.
The Nyerere School, as a hub for regional liberation movements, continues to shape ideological alignment across SADC leaders, ensuring cohesion and unity in purpose.
For future generations who did not live through the struggles of the 1960s and 70s, these institutions offer an educational compass.
They remind citizens of where they have come from, why independence mattered, and how to guard democracy, dignity, and national sovereignty.
Vice President Kembo Mohadi, on his recent visit to the MJNSL, where he had the opportunity to interface with students amidst a lecture.
Once allowed to share his thoughts and wisdom with the students, he did not mince his words.
The Vice President told them to continue to toe the line as expected by the liberation movements and their vision.
“What we want as former liberation movements’ Government is to deliver, deliver to the people, serve the people, and if you do not do that, then you are not part of us.
“The liberation fighters are no longer with us, but their aims, objects, and ideals that they set themselves for are still living, hence why we are here.
“They have gone in flesh, but in spirit we are still with them,” he said.
MJNSL Principal Professor Marcellina Mvula Chijoriga, who earned herself the moniker Chimhamha when she visited Chitepo School, was elated to receive the Vice President at her school.
She said it proved the quest of the liberation movements to preserve the freedom fighters’ legacy and equip future generations with knowledge of how independence was earned while imparting wisdom on them.
“And if you look at that curriculum, what we are trying to inspire, especially the youth, is to tell them they have to be nationalists.
“If you are talking about Zimbabwe, he or she has to identify themselves as Zimbabwean, work for Zimbabwe.
“But we are also saying being Zimbabwean is not enough. They also need to be Pan-Africans.
“Because if you look at the founding fathers of this school, of these 60 staff, most of them were here; they were also Pan-Africanists.
“They were nationalists, but they were also Pan-Africanists.”
“So basically, for us in the school, whoever finishes and graduates from the school, we expect them to be a leader who is inclusive and creates an impact.
“That is why our motto is leadership for inclusivity and impact and that is what the people want: to be people-centric in development.
“I think that the mind is also very important. So that’s why we talk about clarity on that.
“The fourth course, which we also teach here, is about governance.
“We all know that corruption is a big issue and we know there is a complaint about corruption.
“It is only when we make sure that the leaders who are in office are not corrupt, so that everybody feels that whatever public funds we have are used for the benefit of everybody,” she said.
