Online Reporter
Victoria Ruzvidzo-Editor’s Brief
“Blessed Be the Land of Zimbabwe
Oh lift high the banner, the flag of Zimbabwe
The symbol of freedom proclaiming victory;
We praise our heroes’ sacrifice,
And vow to keep our land from foes;
And may the Almighty protect and bless our land.
Oh lovely Zimbabwe, so wondrously adorned
With mountains, and rivers cascading, flowing free;
May rain abound, and fertile fields;
May we be fed, our labour blessed;
And may the Almighty protect and bless our land.
Oh God, we beseech Thee to bless our native land;
The land of our fathers bestowed upon us all;
From Zambezi to Limpopo
May leaders be exemplary;
And may the Almighty protect and bless our land.”
So goes Zimbabwe’s National Anthem. Our national anthem.
The essential elements are pride in Zimbabwe, paying tribute to our heroes, accentuating unity and peace and asking our Creator to bless this country.
We know it’s sung in schools, national occasions and sporting events. It encapsulates what we are as a people. This beautiful song was adopted in 1994, composed by Solomon Mutsvairo.
It got me thinking long and hard when we were singing along at one event recently. What importance do we assign to our national anthem?
When we sing along is it mere routine? Do we take time to understand the words and their meaning?
Oftentimes we hear people tripping over themselves as they sing. Mixing up lines and words. Sometimes we hum along, being careful not to embarrass ourselves. Many my age had already left school when it was introduced so there was not enough practice as we used to do in schools.
But we have seen our young ones singing from start to finish without stammering and without a discord. But that’s beside the point. The question is: do we assign importance in our actions or thoughts to the message that our national anthem communicates.
If for some or many of us the answer is just low-toned murmurings, then we really need to do something about this. The national anthem is the basis of our livelihood. It narrates where we are coming from and where we are going and our responsibility as a collective, to ensure our goals are achieved.
Vision 2030 is embedded in this song. Our aspirations are found in this melodious song and it speaks about how we can get there and the fact that the good Lord is our anchor in all this.
It speaks about how blessed we are in terms of resource endowments. Have we not already been named the Best Destination in the World? Have we not already been elected to the United Nations Security Council as one of the non-permanent members for 2027-28?
If some of the energy we apply in cursing our country and exaggerating our challenges could be redirected towards building it. Our national anthem behoves us to ask God to bless our country and that we should keep our enemies at bay and not invite their wrath through our actions or inactions.
So we don’t need to take it for granted. It is important for us to understand the words contained therein and behave accordingly.
We are a nation that has come far and we have tremendous milestones we have attained. That unforgettable comment by Kirsty Coventry, the International Olympics Committee president that there is so much pride in hearing one’s national anthem being sung before the competitions. People get highly emotional and motivated by their anthems.
In soccer, we hear of players articulating what a pleasure it is to represent national teams. We hear it everywhere, cricket, rugby, tennis, hockey, you name it. Nothing transcends nationalistic feeling. Hence we have world famous poets like Wilfred Owen penning poems like ‘Dulce et decorum est, po patria mori’ (Latin for it is a wonderful and happy thing to die for one’s country). We talk about identity, culture, heritage and tradition. These define a people.
So as we appreciate who we are and note the achievements attained thus far, we become re-energised and ready to conquer the world. We get momentum, inspiration, direction and confidence.
We have achieved much as a country in the first half of this year and we look set to score more even much more on many fronts. A periodic glance at our national anthem and what it embodies will keep us right on track.
Finance authorities project at least a 5 percent growth for 2026, barring challenges on the Strait of Hormuz. This is on the back of agriculture recovery, commendable performance in mining, construction and retail. Inflation fell to single digits in January at 4.1 percent for the first time in 30 years and was last month pegged at 4,4 percent.
On April 16, 2026, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a 10-month Staff-Monitored Programme focused on fiscal discipline and macroeconomic stability.
As stated earlier, on June 3, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly elected Zimbabwe to the 15-member Security Council for a two-year term starting January 1 2027 to December 31 2028. Zimbabwe got 182 out of the 191 votes cast, well above the two thirds majority needed. There is something definitely right about this country. Our national anthem confirms this.
The Security Council is the most powerful UN body, the only one that can make legally-binding decisions. Under its purview is the imposition of sanctions, peacekeeping missions and the use of force where it deems it necessary.
Non-permanent members can define debates, negotiate resolutions and vote on international crises or conflict resolutions.
Zimbabwe enjoyed support from SADC, the African Union, Pacific Central Asia, Caribbean and Latin America on its way to winning the seat. Russia, China and all our friends, old and new, supported us strongly during the campaign phase.
Thus the victory enables us to advance the engagement and re-engagement thrust under the Second Republic. We are also uniquely positioned to promote international peace and security. Furthermore, we can champion Pan-African values and have more gravitas in so far as the conflicts on our continent and beyond are concerned.
We should never underestimate this monumental victory for our diplomatic exertions and our international image. We will also be rubbing shoulders with the powers that be. We have established international credibility. Our tourism industry, already in ascendancy gets a boost. Our lithium, platinum and beneficiation deals can derive tremendous benefits from this.
We have talked about rating agencies. They invariably pay attention to UN Security Council roles, as does the IMF. In essence, we will have more diplomatic goodwill. From an outpost of tyranny as referred to by Madeline Albright in the forgettable epoch we once passed through, to a security partner. Indeed, we have come far.
Furthermore, our strategic partnerships have been solidified particularly with regards to China, United Arab Emirates and Russia. It was also heart-warming this other day to hear the United Kingdom say it would love to work closely with Zimbabwe at UN.
Things are going well for this country. On another note it has now become news when there is a one-hour loading-shedding because having electricity to power industry and for domestic use has become commonplace. Yes this is Zimbabwe we are talking about!
In fact we would need acres of space to list the things that this country has achieved under the Second Republic. We would need a second edition of this newspaper on a daily basis. Thank God for digital technology. The space is available online.
Our investment climate has vastly improved with Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency coming to the party. It has been very proactive, responsive and alive to investors’ needs and this bodes well for the country. June always makes people reflect, be it as individuals or nations. We take stock of where we are, what we have attained and where we are going. This is measured against set goals established right at the beginning of the year. It is in the spirit of patriotism that we move as a country.
We summon our nationalistic pride and re-assert our resolve to attain our aspirations and ideals. Vision 2030 is a highly noble one, setting us on the path of our global developmental goals. National Development Strategy (NDS)2, as with NDS1, is a solid strategy document. The attainment of an upper-middle income economy is almost within touching distance.
Even the harshest critics now see the light.
We heard from the onset that we were doomed to fail. Lo and behold,they have been converted, not by speeches but evidence on the ground.
To all intents and purposes, Zimbabwe is on the go. We have increased electricity supply, our standing on the international stage has been solidified, we are making prudent investments in infrastructure, ease of doing business is on the up, tourism is escalating, mining is performing, agriculture is performing, the famed macro-economic environment is stable, we have more policy consistency, our education system has been revamped, rural industrialisation is achieving notable milestones, inclusive growth is a guiding principle, we are winning global awards, our construction and retail industries are lively.
The Government has instituted solid measures in literally every sphere which are bearing fruit.
The engine is firing from all cylinders so to speak! We have not said there are no challenges. But these are being dealt with at institutional and even individual levels. They all look surmountable given where we have come from and what we have achieved in a short space of time.
Indeed God bless Zimbabwe, God bless our land as the national anthem says.
Let the music play!
In God l trust!
X handle: @VictoriaRuzvid2; Email: [email protected]; [email protected]; WhatsApp number: 0772 129 972.
