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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
AS the nation commemorates the 34th Unity Day anniversary today when Zanu (PF) and PF-Zapu signed the Unity Accord in 1987, war veteran leaders in Matabeleland have called on citizens to think beyond their differences and focus on taking the nation forward.
The Unity Accord, which was signed by former President, the late Cde Robert Mugabe and late Vice President Joshua Nkomo on December 22, 1987, brought together erstwhile liberation movements of Zanu (PF) and PF-Zapu under the banner of Zanu-PF.
In separate interviews yesterday, war veterans’ leaders urged Zimbabweans to cherish Unity Day, saying the peace prevailing in the country was the key driver of economic development in Zimbabwe.
Bulawayo provincial war veterans’ leader Cde Cephas Ncube said Unity Day is a very important day, which should be celebrated by every Zimbabwean as it has brought peace and unity among citizens.
“Unity Day is an important day for the people of Zimbabwe, and again it is also important to dispel the assumption that Unity Day is a PF-Zapu and Zanu (PF) project. If our leaders, the late Cdes Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and Robert Mugabe had not seen the significance of uniting the people of Zimbabwe, we could be talking of a full-fledged civil war and bloodshed,” he said.
“We sat down as Zimbabweans and amicably solved our problems and this is what we should continue to cherish as a nation.”
Cde Ncube said the signing of the Unity Accord is a reflection of home-grown solutions to the country’s challenges.
“It means as Zimbabweans we are capable of solving our own problems without foreign interference. I remember on the day of the signing of the Unity Accord, I was still in the Zimbabwe National Army and on that particular day, I was the duty officer at the army headquarters and to me it’s an important day that I will cherish forever,” he said.
“Through the Unity Accord, we attained peace and we are now able to work and live in harmony as Zimbabweans regardless of tribe. Without peace there is no meaningful development and even the late Dr Nkomo mentioned that in one of his speeches.”
Cde Ncube said Zimbabweans must reflect on the ethos of those who drew up the agreement and respect them.
He however, expressed concern that young people were ignorant about the importance of Unity Day.
“Our youths must be taught on the importance of Unity Day. It is not just an ordinary holiday that we celebrate, but a day to reflect on what we achieved as a country because of the peace we are enjoying,” he said.
“Unity Day is a very important day to our people who know our history. The signing of the Unity Accord brought peace and stability, which translated into economic development for our country.”
Matabeleland South provincial war veterans’ leader Cde Section Ncube said Unity Day played a critical role in uniting the people of Zimbabwe and urged citizens to think beyond their ethnic differences.
He said it was not true that PF-Zapu was swallowed by Zanu (PF) when the Unity Accord was signed 34 years ago.
“It is not true that Zanu (PF) swallowed PF-Zapu because these two parties were not forced to enter into the unity pact. The Unity Accord united both PF-Zapu and Zanu (PF) and therefore as war veterans we are saying we should continue with the legacy of our leaders,” he said.
“Those who purport to be Zapu, which pulled out of the Unity Accord are lying because the original PF-Zapu merged with Zanu (PF) to form Zanu-PF.”
War veterans’ chairperson in Matabeleland North Cde Samy Mguni urged Zimbabweans to be part of a collective dialogue aimed at finding solutions to the country’s challenges.
“You will find that during the liberation struggle we fought as one people against one common enemy. Even after independence as war veterans we continued working together following the integration of Zipra and Zanla forces into the national army,” he said.
“There were political disturbances, but we managed to resolve those differences through dialogue. We are thankful to our leaders for swallowing their pride by putting the national interests first and resolved to tackle the issue.’’
Cde Mguni said it is now time to focus on rebuilding the country.
“Each one of us has an important role to play in taking the country forward. Our leaders in their wisdom, and from their own experiences decided to sit down and unite the nation by signing the Unity Accord, which brought to an end the post-Independence conflict,” he said. — @mashnets
Online Reporter