COMMENT: Honour Father Zimbabwe through unity, peace, harmony

THE anniversary of the death of one of Zimbabwe’s founding fathers, the late Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo yesterday should serve as a reminder of the importance of unity, peace and harmony as key ingredients of a prosperous nation.

From the time he joined politics right to his death bed, Dr Nkomo preached unity, peace and the importance of the land as it was the reason sons and daughters of Zimbabwe took up arms to dislodge the colonial system that led to Independence in 1980.

Now 22 years after his death, the values that Dr Nkomo preached remain of great importance to the country and for future generations.

President Mnangagwa last Saturday said Dr Nkomo’s legacy must be honoured through upholding the principles that he espoused.

“Our Father Zimbabwe, one of our founding fathers for the independence of this country, Zimbabwe, the late Vice-President Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo’s anniversary is on the 1st of July but most importantly, the message which he left us, which we would also wish to leave the nation of Zimbabwe is unity, unity, love, love and harmony,” said President Mnangagwa.

He said Dr Nkomo always emphasised the centrality of the land question in the war of liberation that brought independence in 1980.

“Above all these, is our land, he said thousands and thousands of our young sons and daughters perished because we wanted our land to unite with its people and the people to unite with their land. That was the message,” said President Mnangagwa.

He said these principles were held by Dr Nkomo from the time he fought for the country’s liberation until he breathed his last.

“I remember when he was feeling very ill, making this statement to the late President (Robert) Mugabe that, ‘If I go Cde, I want unity, keep our land, give it to our people’ that was the message. It was valid then, it is valid today, it will be valid in future. That is how we must remember our founding father Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo.”

The values of Dr Nkomo have been carried over by the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa who, since his taking over of power, has preached peace, unity, the full utilisation of the land and hard work.

President Mnangagwa has made great strides in tackling issues that have remained a thorn in the nation like the emotive Gukurahundi.
In a speech commemorating Unity Day in 2020, President Mnangagwa said his administration has the political will and boldness to confront the past to ensure national healing and closure.

“Peace-building, conflict-resolution and management must remain a binding feature of our national development agenda. Where there are differences, we must aim to settle and resolve them through dialogue and engagement.

“Further guided by our national Constitution, heritage and traditional value systems; toxic politics and divisive tendencies have no room in our society. By and large, we are a peaceful people and nation.

“My administration has the political will and boldness to confront the past and bring about healing and closure,” said President Mnangagwa.

“I am encouraged by the success we are scoring towards building greater national cohesion and singleness of purpose informed by lessons from the disturbances which characterised the early years of independence.

“To date, a concrete course of action has been drawn out following inclusive interventions and meetings held with traditional leadership and stakeholders of Matabeleland Provinces and parts of Midlands Province.”

The President has also emphasised on the development of all parts of Zimbabwe assuring the nation that no one would be left behind in the country’s development trajectory.

The Government has thus rolled a number of projects across sectors in all parts of the country for the development of the people.

President Mnangagwa has also made sure that some projects initiated many years ago but remained incomplete are accelerated through fiscal support so that they are completed.

The Gwayi-Shangani Dam project, a key component of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, a panacea to Bulawayo’s water challenges, is set for completion in December following the Second Republic’s intervention for its speedy completion.

In a statement yesterday, the chief secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, said Dr Nkomo’s clarion call for unity has continued to inspire the nation.

 

“Inspired by Dr Nkomo and his generation of heroic and selfless nationalists, those of us privileged to serve in the Office of the President and Cabinet are fully committed to the formulation and implementation of policies, programmes and projects that will deliver decent livelihoods to all citizens in a free and democratic Zimbabwe,” said Dr Sibanda.

“We continue to lend full support to the leadership of the Second Republic in confronting current challenges, including the scourge of the Covid-19 pandemic. As our liberators would declare during their time, ‘Victory is Certain!’, we remain committed and supportive to realise this noble cause.”