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Tendai Chirau-Acting Deputy Secretary for Zanu PF Youth League
As Zimbabwe commemorates it’s 42nd Independence Day, the Zanu PF Youth League joins the President and First Secretary of Zanu PF, Cde Mnangagwa and the rest of Zimbabwe, in congratulating and extending best wishes to all the young people who are the major beneficiaries of the freedom ushered in by independence.
The essence of emancipation and Uhuru is something we benefited from, and continue to benefit from as young people.
Our freedom was born out of the sacrifices of youths during the 1970s.
Youths took it upon themselves to confront the major grievances then central to their generation, in a bitter struggle to realise the sacrosanct values of sovereignty, indigenous control of the means of production and fair access to educational and economic opportunities.
It is indeed, befitting that the Second Republic has decided to have the main commemorative events de-centralised across the country, so that indeed, no one and no place is left behind.
As we celebrate this day, we re-dedicate ourselves to our defining ethos and legacy.
No Zimbabwean should ever forget that our independence was won in struggle, a persevering and inspired struggle carried on from day to day, a struggle, in which we were undaunted by bloody Rhodesian atrocities.
We are proud of our struggle and its legacy, because it was just, noble and indispensable in putting an end to the humiliating bondage forced upon us. We owe the democracy and freedom that we currently enjoy to the sacrifices of this gallant generation.
They gave us concrete opportunities for self-expression and growth in education, politics and economics, in an environment of unparalleled peace and tranquillity.
We are indeed, grateful to the sagacious, able stewardship of our listening President in the Second Republic, and his administration, for stepping up the progressive inclusion and involvement of young people in all facets of the national political economy, decision-making matrix and developmental thrust, as embodied in Vision 2030.
Under President Mnangagwa’s leadership, we have witnessed full operationalisation of the youth quota system, which has seen deserving youths being appointed to boards and other key leadership roles.
We have also seen special purpose empowerment vehicles for the youth, in the form of innovation hubs in institutions of higher and tertiary learning, and dedicated funding mechanisms such as the youth employment tax and Youth Empower Bank to support “Green starts” and “upstarts” for creative and enterprising young men and women.
Our current dispensation, building on the enduring template of unity, peace and development that inspired the liberation struggle, and has sustained our ideological trajectory since 1980, has also made definite strides to ensure young people are intensively involved in mega national infrastructural development projects, both as direct employees and as contributing entrepreneurs throughout the value chain.
This 2022 Independence day theme, “Leaving no one and no place behind” requires that we all put our hands on the deck to accelerate our progress towards attaining Vision 2030.
An upper middle-income economy by 2030 is not just a dream, but a reality.
As revolutionary young people, we are the custodians of this vision and it is incumbent upon us to drive it; “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”.
As ZANU PF Youth League, we are convinced that it is through economic co-operation that we will be able to make a significant contribution from this point forward to the well-being of all Zimbabweans.
This is our war now, as we leverage on our political gains. Young people must continue to seek education, skills and relevant training to make informed decisions on the economic front.
We are fully committed to seeking out new ways to aggressively update competencies for the requirement of a modern technology and innovation-driven economy.
More importantly, we call upon the youth to show commitment for self-development and make themselves open to the various opportunities, which are being made available by the Second Republic.
We once again express gratitude to all the architects of our emancipation, to our heroes both fallen and living, to all patriots who deserve a special place in history for their courage and outstanding clarity of vision, to revolutionary activists at all levels, and to all the brave fighters who sacrificed to give us freedom.
Being ever conscious of the regime change machinations and adversity being daily directed against President Mnangagwa’s forward-looking policies and inclusive approach to national development, we re-affirm our undying determination to give our independence an existence that is not only in name.
We shall indeed, be judged by our own acts as a generation.
Tendai Chirau is the Acting Deputy Secretary for Zanu PF National Youth League
Online Reporter