Online Reporter
Nduduzo Tshuma in Johannesburg, South Africa
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is expected to arrive here this afternoon to join fellow leaders at the former Liberation Movements Summit, which enters its final and most crucial phase tomorrow with a high-level meeting of party heads.
The three-day summit, which began yesterday, brings together former liberation movements from Southern Africa for strategic deliberations on safeguarding the region’s political legacy defending hard-won freedom and tackling rising geopolitical and socio-economic challenges.
The six Southern African liberation movements, the ANC of South Africa, who are the chair and host, Zanu-PF (Zimbabwe), MPLA (Angola), SWAPO (Namibia), Frelimo (Moza-mbique) and CCM (Tanzania) are joined by parties from the region and beyond, as well as key institutions like The Museum of African Liberation.
Running under the theme: “Defending the Liberation Gains, Advancing Integrated Socio-Economic Development, Strengthening Solidarity for a Better Africa”, the presence of the leaders of the respective movements will add weight to the summit, a departure from previous events where secretary-generals represented the organisations.
The President’s arrival was preceded yesterday by that of Zanu-PF secretary general Dr Obert Mpofu and heads of respective party leagues who engaged in a number of interactions between sister parties.
The interactions build to pre-Summit deliberations by the movements on a number of critical issues with their findings to be presented at the indaba.
As part of the Summit, former Presidents Thabo Mbeki (South Africa) and Joaquim Chissano (Mozambique) last night hosted a dinner to discuss emerging issues in the region and abroad.
In an interview at his Pretoria offices, Zimbabwe Ambassador to Zimbabwe, David Hamadziripi, said President Mnangagwa’s participation underlines the importance the country attaches to the engagements.
“This summit comes at a very important time in the region and in the world because of the various geopolitical developments that we are observing and it is important that the leaders of the liberation movements take stock of these developments, co-ordinate their responses and coordinate the mitigation measures that we may take as a region in order to deal with the current challenges,” he said.
“His Excellency the President is going to come himself, underlying and attaching the importance that we have to this discussion, to this co-ordination and to exchange views with his colleagues in the region,” said Amb Hamadziripi.
“We as the Embassy are indeed honoured and privileged to receiving His Excellency, the President we are expecting to arrive on Saturday and for him to participate in this important gathering.”
Amb Hamadziripi said sister organisations from China, Russia and Cuba among others will take part in the Summit, which he said is a reflection “of the historical ties and historical contributions that they made to our liberation struggle and to the successes of our liberation struggles and of course the friendship, solidarity and their enduring involvement in our socio-economic development.”
Meanwhile, the ANC has said the ongoing Summit is a strategic intervention in organisational renewal, deepening intra-party solidarity and responding to contemporary challenges including imperial pressures, economic crises and neo-colonial interference.
“The ANC believes that the political, economic and cultural survival of Southern Africa’s liberation legacy demands honest introspection, shared learning and actionable unity,” said the ANC.
Liberation movements, ANC said, played a vital role in transforming Southern Africa’s political landscape by resisting colonial and apartheid systems and advancing people-centred governance.
However, it warned that these historic gains are now under threat and require urgent and collective responses.
“By reaffirming shared values and strengthening alliances, the 2025 Liberation Movements Summit will chart a path forward, one that protects the gains of the past while building a just, inclusive and self-determined African future,” the political organisation said.
In an interview with South African media yesterday, Zanu-PF director of information and publicity Cde Frai Marapira said the movements have, for decades, been connected to the needs of the African people.
He said while political liberation was achieved, focus is now on creating sound economic and living conditions for the people.
Cde Marapira said the diverse economic landscapes of the countries taking part at the Summit will help come up with resolutions that will benefit everyone.
“As Zanu-PF, our issue at the present moment is the economy and ensuring that we keep on developing it in the leaps and strides which we are doing. We have a very vibrant steel sector which is going to revolutionise most of the economies with us as Sadc in the ensuing months and years and this will become more and more prevalent,” he said.
“These are some of the issues we are looking at, that we are now in charge of our economy as Zimbabwe, we are developing our economy.
“All our main sectors are improving year by year be it the agricultural sector, the mining sector and we are now developing a manufacturing sector, ensuring that our products are not sold as raw material but make sure that we are value-adding them,” he said.
“This is what we are looking at as Zanu-PF, an exciting period of our life as a political party because we are now moving from strength to strength under the leadership of President Mnangagwa towards attaining the goals and aspirations of our people, brick by brick.”
