adminNyore Madzianike Manicaland Bureau
As preparations for this year’s independence celebrations gather momentum in Nyanga, Government officials and people from around the district gathered at Mapako Secondary School to commemorate the Rusvingo Battle of 1978. The event, which was organised by the Zimbabwe Staff College, also gave the Nyanga community an opportunity to visit the shrine where freedom fighters that died during the battle were buried.
Rusvingo Battle was fought on July 22, 1978 in Nyanga.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Commander of the Zimbabwe Staff College Brigadier-General Josphat Kudumba said the visit to the shrine would give his students, who were born after independence, an opportunity to appreciate the liberation war history.
The shrine is located in Ward 18, Nyanga South constituency.
“As we teach soldiers, there are times when we give them an opportunity to move around the country and appreciate how we can enhance our security,” said Brig-Gen Kudumba. “They move around industries and at the same time visit areas like these where the liberation battles were fought.
“This will help them meet people who helped liberation fighters during the struggle and war veterans who were involved in the liberation struggle. Upon their return to the college, they will have an appreciation of how the war was fought and how the country was liberated.”
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, who was guest of honour, applauded the Zimbabwe Staff College for hosting the event, saying it reminded people of how important the army was in bringing development.
“This is a revolutionary army,” she said. “This is an army that stays with people and this shows that it is working well with communities. It is a sign of unity and peace. Where there is unity and peace, there is also development.
“My job as Minister of Provincial Affairs is to see that there is development. What is important is to see that there is development in Zimbabwe as is being enunciated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Nyanga South constituency legislator Cde Supa Mandiwanzira thanked the Zimbabwe Staff College for the noble gesture.
“It is not just a sign of honour, but also a sign of ensuring that the communities here and students have a legacy that they will always remember with regards to our history,” he said.
“The recognition of the place by the National Museums and Monuments through their coming here to look at it and see how it could be preserved and protected is very encouraging.
“It is also important that our young kids will now have a place where they can go and learn the history of our country and particularly to learn that this country did not come on a silver platter, but there are people who sacrificed their lives.”
Students who visited the shrine were drawn from countries such as Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia who are studying at the Zimbabwe Staff College.
Online Reporter