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ZIMBABWEANS on Monday commemorate the Heroes Day, a day set aside to pay tribute to the gallant sons and daughters of the soil who sacrificed their lives to liberate this country from the shackles of colonialism. This is a day when the nation looks back at the 33 years of independence to find out its failures and achievements. When people gather at the various commemoration centres throughout the country, they should take stock of what the nation has done during the past 33 years in its endeavour to fulfill the wishes and aspirations of the freedom fighters who paid the supreme price to bring about independence.
The main event as usual will be at the National Heroes’ Acres in Harare where national heroes such as Josiah Magama Tongogara, Herbert Chitepo, the late Vice President Simon Muzenda, the late Vice President Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, the late Vice President Joseph Msika, the late Vice President Landa John Nkomo and many others are buried. There are many others whose remains are buried in unmarked graves in Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries such as Zambia and Mozambique.
This year’s commemorations are unique in that they come soon after the country has just concluded the historic harmonised elections which were won resoundingly by the revolutionary party Zanu-PF. The heroes and heroines should be smiling in their graves wherever they are because the elections buried once and for all the remnants of colonialism. The gallant sons and daughters whose lives the nation celebrates on Monday, were forced to take up arms to fight the injustices of the settler regime. Zimbabweans, for a century, were made hewers of wood and drawers of water in their own motherland.
The colonialists soon after taking over the country started parcelling out the land to their kith and kin while confining the majority of the black people to barren land they referred to as reserves. The skewed land ownership saw the few whites owning about 80 percent of the country’s productive land. It was because of this unfair land distribution that the gallant sons and daughters took up arms to fight the settler regime. The land redistribution was therefore one of Zanu-PF Government’s top priorities soon after independence but because of the resistance from the whites, it took long to make a headway. The situation was worsened by Britain which reneged on its Lancaster House Conference undertaking to fund land reform programmes.
The Government under pressure from the landless Zimbabweans, in 2000 embarked on the fast track land reform programme which has resulted in thousands of families owning land in prime farming areas which used to be a preserve of the whites. Britain and its allies, in a bid to reverse the land reform programme, has been pushing for a regime change in Zimbabwe which last week suffered a major setback when the people voted resoundingly for Zanu-PF. The people have said no to imperialists who for a century have been looting our resources to develop their mother countries.
The gallant sons and daughters that we remember on Monday are the ones that sacrificed their lives so that we could enjoy this democratic right to choose who to preside over our governance issues as we did last week. The nation which is already in a celebrations mood therefore continues its celebrations on Monday as it pays tribute to its heroes and heroines.
A lesson drawn from our heroes and heroines is that as Zimbabweans we should be prepared to sacrifice for a cause. Monday reminds us of the protracted liberation struggle that killed thousands and also maimed thousands others. We therefore have an obligation as Zimbabweans to ensure that the wishes and aspirations of those who died for our freedom are fulfilled.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo