Dr Nkomo must be smiling in his grave

Zimbabweans are this month commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the death of Vice President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo.

Dr Nkomo succumbed to prostate cancer at the age of 82.

Umdala Wethu, Father Zimbabwe, Big Josh or Chibwechitedza, was the champion of unity and even at his death bed was preaching unity. July is therefore a special month for Zimbabweans as it affords them an opportunity to reflect on the rich legacy of one of Zimbabwe’s liberation icons who always preached unity and oneness.

President Mnangagwa set the tone for this year’s commemorations when he pledged to emulate Dr Nkomo’s legacy.

He said Dr Nkomo was a great man whose legacy of love, unity and peace shall always be followed. President

Mnangagwa described the late Father Zimbabwe as a visionary leader.

“Twenty-two years ago today, Zimbabwe lost a great man. Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo is a hero of the liberation struggle, a man of the people and a visionary who helped build a better Zimbabwe. Every day we strive to continue your legacy of unity, love and peace,” said President Mnangagwa.

Dr Nkomo’s wish was to see Zimbabweans of all races united and this desire for a united Zimbabwe saw him leading the then PF Zapu to sign the 1987 Unity Accord with Zanu-PF. Dr Nkomo must be smiling in his grave because one of the goals he worked hard to achieve was the equitable distribution of the country’s finite resource which is land.

Dr Nkomo spoke passionately about the need to correct the skewed land ownership and at many fora he warned whites who wanted to continue clinging onto the land that they risked igniting another revolution.

The issue of land, Dr Nkomo said, was the main reason why Zimbabwe’s sons and daughters took up arms to fight the settler regime. More than 300 000 families have been allocated land in areas that used to be a preserve of white commercial farmers.

Dr Nkomo always emphasised the need to be productive saying the land should sustain the livelihoods of all Zimbabweans. The first part of Dr Nkomo’s struggle of ensuring that the landless blacks were allocated land has been fulfilled and the challenge now is to ensure the land is put to good use.

The late Vice President believed that Zimbabwe had qualified human resources in many sectors of the economy hence he was against people seeking services from outside the country. It was his strong belief in Zimbabweans’ capacity to provide specialist medical services that he initiated the establishment of the specialist medical centre, Ekusileni Hospital in Bulawayo. The 200-bed hospital is now one of the Covid-19 designated hospitals.

Zimbabweans should this month not only celebrate Dr Nkomo’s rich legacy but should also strive to emulate his good works that united the nation.

It is only through unity of purpose that Zimbabwe can overcome the many challenges that the country is facing.

The major challenge is to turnaround the economy and this is only possible when, as a nation, we have a shared vision. This is the message that Dr Nkomo always preached.