Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike, [email protected]
GOVERNMENT has intensified efforts to identify all those who participated in the liberation war, with comprehensive nationwide verification and mop-up vetting exercises targeting war collaborators and non-combatant cadres already underway.
The move seeks to ensure that all those who participated in the liberation struggle receive rightful recognition, welfare support and national benefits.
Addressing mourners at the burial of national hero Brigadier General (Rtd) Albert Nyamuronda at the National Heroes Acre in Harare yesterday, Vice President Kembo Mohadi said Government was engaging neighbouring countries where the remains of freedom fighters were interred to afford them decent burials.
VP Mohadi said engaging such regional countries would help safeguard invaluable liberation heritage sites for the benefit of present and future generations.
He said young Zimbabweans must understand that the freedoms they enjoy today came at a great cost hence the need to preserve the national history.
He said this year’s Heroes Day commemorations’ theme — Lest We Forget — challenges every generation to preserve the values of sacrifice, resilience, unity, hard work and patriotism that characterised the liberation struggle.
Brig-Gen (Rtd) Nyamuronda died on August 11 at Chitungwiza General Hospital after suffering from a respiratory tract infection.
He was 69.
“Following my regional visits to countries such as Zambia and Mozambique last year, to assess the state of our liberation struggle shrines, under the stewardship of His Excellency President Mnangagwa, I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made towards the rehabilitation and improvement of these sites.
“Through the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Government has stepped up the rehabilitation, upgrading, and preservation works at these historical sites.
“This ongoing process ensures that the sacred resting places of our heroes and heroines properly reflect their immense sacrifices and are preserved as enduring monuments of our shared regional history,” said the Vice President.
He said tremendous progress had been recorded at Freedom Camp, Nampundwe, Mkushi, Kavalamanja and St Mary’s Cemetery in Zambia.
In Mozambique, shrines at Changara 1 and 2, Chibavava, Espungabeira and Chimoio, among others, have been refurbished.
The rehabilitation programme also saw the construction of social amenities for communities around the sites.
VP Mohadi said Government remains committed to ensuring that no hero or heroine is forgotten, whether in Zimbabwe or in neighbouring countries, with sites such as Boma in Angola also earmarked for refurbishment.
“As we move forward, we shall continue working closely with our sister Republics in the region to safeguard these invaluable liberation heritage sites for the benefit of present and future generations.”
He said the Second Republic fully appreciates that the liberation struggle was won through collective sacrifice by many people around the country.
VP Mohadi said the Second Republic also appreciates that all of them contributed in different, but equally significant ways and other forms in support of the liberation movements.
“Through the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs, the Government has rolled out comprehensive nationwide verification and mop-up vetting exercises specifically targeting war collaborators and non-combatant cadres.
“This ensures that all deserving contributors are registered under the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act (Chapter 17:12), clearing the path for them to receive their rightful recognition, welfare support, and national benefits,” he said.
The Acting President said Government’s commitment to recognise liberation war contributors was witnessed during the Heroes and Defence Forces Day celebrations that were held last week and saw veterans being awarded Independence medals.
He said Government believed that every genuine contribution to the liberation of Zimbabwe deserved recognition and preservation within national history.
“The liberation struggle was a people’s war, and every Zimbabwean who made a contribution has a place in that proud history.
“As the Second Republic, we reaffirm Government’s commitment to preserving the legacy of every deserving son and daughter of Zimbabwe who contributed to our liberation.
“The greatest tribute we can pay to them is not only to remember their sacrifice, but also to build the peaceful, united, prosperous, and sovereign nation for which they fought.
“In that regard, Government will continue to pursue initiatives that ensure our liberation history remains complete, inclusive, and faithfully preserved for generations to come,” he said.
Acting President Mohadi added that although the National Heroes Acre remained a symbol of collective liberation history, Government equally placed importance on provincial, district and community shrines.
He said the shrines were repositories of Zimbabwean history and preserve the memory of liberation fighters, whose sacrifices inspired communities and contributed immensely to the attainment of independence.
“To this end, Government, through the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, is strengthening the Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approach when it comes to sites of historical significance.”
Acting President Mohadi said Government remained committed to preserving liberation heritage in all its dimensions.
He said the theme for this year’s Heroes Day commemorations — Lest We Forget — symbolised national commitment to honouring every sacrifice, preserving every story and ensuring that the
liberation heroes and heroines’ legacy continued to inspire present and future generations.
Acting President Mohadi encouraged youth to actively seek to understand the liberation heritage, saying a nation that forgets its history loses its direction.
He said a youth informed by the struggle becomes the bedrock of the future.
Cde Mohadi said the values that drove liberation fighters — unwavering patriotism, selflessness and national unity — must guide daily lives.
“Freedom was won so we could build our own country. Today, the new frontier of patriotism is economic liberation, innovation, and unity of purpose as we work toward Vision 2030, guided by
His Excellency the President, Cde Mnangagwa’s philosophy, ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’.
“I urge our youth to visit these shrines, learn the stories of those who lie there, and carry forward the torch of unity, peace, and hard work,” he said.
