Online Reporter
Dr Obert Moses Mpofu
EVERY generation is required to make a meaningful contribution to its nation. Every generation must interrogate its purpose and what it is required to do, and can do, for its nation.
Such a task has to be done well. However, it is never an easy assignment. Each generation thus has its own unique struggles that it must overcome. My generation had perhaps the most difficult of tasks, and we executed it well. This is why we all can live, work and enjoy ourselves in a free Zimbabwe.
As we celebrate Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day this week, let us remember the importance of those who sacrificed for this country’s freedom. Heroes are not born; they are made.
Heroes are forged from the fire of the struggle of their generation. In the journey towards self-determination, there is always a ferocious battle that must be fought; otherwise, the future of entire generations will be lost. The sacrifice is often more than what we can bear. I have often argued that, for some of us who waged the guerrilla war against our colonisers, each day was a struggle to live. The enemy was far more advanced, far more resourced and far more experienced than we were. The enemy also had little regard for the black man. They never considered him human.
This was one of the miscalculations by the enemy that played to our advantage. However, the odds were still stacked against us, but we still won. All this came at a great price. The youth of yesterday took up arms to liberate the country. The youth of today have an equally daunting task ahead of them. The youth should be the heroes of tomorrow. Nations are indeed built by the youth of their time. Our youth should heed this clarion call and boldly shape the country for posterity.
They are the heroes and heroines of tomorrow. They have an important task of turning themselves into a formidable force that will take the nation forward. Sacrifice should be at the centre of all their endeavours. Without sacrifice, there is nothing worthwhile that can ever be achieved. We have spent so much of our time fighting wars. As Zimbabweans, we arguably have never truly enjoyed our independence. No sooner had we deposed the Smith regime than we came under economic siege through sanctions from the West. So, it is the young amongst us who must rise to the occasion and come up with solutions to challenges that bedevil our nation.
They need to liberate the country from modern-day attacks. They must be both heroes and defenders of our revolution. This is a task that is required and expected of them. So much was given and sacrificed for the birth of the Zimbabwe that we know today. We must not let the sacrifices be in vain. At every turn, we must make efforts to jealously guard what was won by the heroes of old.
As we celebrate this year’s Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day, let us never forget that which was lost for us to gain our most treasured independence.
Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is an academic and the Secretary-General of ZANU PF. He writes in his own capacity.
