adminreform programme, and the progressive indigenisation and economic empowerment programmes, we dropped the short-end of the stick the erstwhile coloniser had given us at the Lancaster House Constitutional Conference. And over the past 33 years, we have systematically worked to transform our country into a truly Independent unitary state.
Today we have written our own constitution in which we have enshrined our national aspirations, ethos and entrenched the foundations of our state.
In that document we upheld the sanctity of our Independence and sovereignty.
Independence does not only mean flying our flag over our territory, neither does it mean having black faces in Government; Independence means non-dependence on anyone but ourselves for our own destiny.
And when we look at the path travelled over the past 33 years, there is every reason to celebrate the achievements scored, gains that are unparalleled by any nation that attained political Independence in our generation, or even those that have been free much longer.
The gains in the social services sector are phenomenal, infrastructure development, housing, you name it, the only blight was an economy dominated by foreign-owned companies, and this is what we are painstakingly changing, which is why this year’s Independence theme is “Zimbabwe @ 33 — Peace, Prosperity and Economic Empowerment for National Development”.
This is because we have taken the bold decision to transform our independence from the political to the economic dimension.
Yes, there are those who point gleefully at the prevailing socio-economic hardships as a sign of failure, we disagree and disagree with them strongly.
What our nation is experiencing are the pangs of transformation, and any reasonable person can concur that the prevailing economic malaise is a result of illegal Western sanctions.
Indeed, the fact that despite a sustained 13-year assault, our country has not gone under is testimony to the strength of the foundation laid since 1980.
Our economy has not collapsed, but that which we called our economy when it was in fact a white economy is collapsing, and in its place an indigenous Zimbabwean economy is emerging on the back of a genuine land-owning middle class.
That transformation can not occur overnight, neither can it be rosy, it is a duel with dark forces, whose very existence hinges on continued exploitation of our resources, with us as the labourers.
These are the forces we should all tell today, never again!
Never again will we allow them to reverse the gains we have made, amid so much opposition.
However, for that transformation to be achieved expeditiously, we must all pull in the same direction.
This is the last phase of our struggle, and history tells us that the myopia of those who opted to abet the enemy prolonged the liberation struggle.
This is why we need this day, to dedicate ourselves to the ideals of the struggle, close ranks to defeat the machinations of those seeking to torpedo and reverse our Independence.
The sanctions imposed by the West are not for our benefit, they were meant to benefit their kith and kin, whom we dispossessed of resources that are rightfully ours.
Thus whether we are Zanu-PF, MDC-T, MDC, Mavambo or Ndonga let us differ only on the modalities of governing our nation, not who should govern it.
We won the right to self-determination 33 years ago. And as we go to elections this year, let us remember that the gains we have made over the past 33 years, gains built on the sacrifices of selfless sons and daughters of this land, who paid the ultimate sacrifice from the First to the Second Chimurenga, can all go up in smoke if we abuse the vote that we got at the cost of tens of thousands of precious lives.
Let us vote wisely this year, let us vote to preserve everything we celebrate today.
Online Reporter