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Blessings Chidakwa and Marytise Vambayi
The construction of core buildings at the Museum of African Liberation is set to commence with President Mnangagwa today expected to lay the foundation stone as well as unveiling the Zimbabwe Defence Forces heritage monument.
The Institute of African Knowledge overseeing the Liberation City will also do a signing ceremony with the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), who are partnering in building a shopping mall along Kirkman Road under a Public Private Partnership arrangement.
The Liberation City is set to accommodate the Museum of African Liberation and other facilities, including upmarket apartments, a hotel, amusement and theme parks, shopping malls, with an access bridge linking the museum and National Heroes Acre on the cards.
In an interview, the Institute of African Knowledge chief executive Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi said all was set for the laying of the foundation stone.
“We also expect a site tour around the whole facility that is going to host the museum and surrounding value addition facilities such as the five-star hotel, amusement park, shopping mall,” he said.
“We expect President Mnangagwa to also launch the Zimbabwe Defence Forces heritage monument.
“It is going to be a very important monument in terms of permanent commemoration of the sacrifices of the defence forces to the liberation, peace and development of Zimbabwe and Africa in general.”
Ambassador Muzawazi said there will also be the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Instak and NSSA to pave way for what is going to be Zimbabwe’s biggest shopping mall to be called the liberation mall.
“It will be adjacent to the museum and it will absolutely change the economy, tourism and the appeal of Harare particularly the western side.
“We also expect the Joshua Nkomo Foundation to submit artefacts from the late Vice President to the collection of the museum and that will be a very important development seeing that it will be the eve of unity day,” he said.
Ambassador Muzawazi said following the President’s visit there will be rapid construction of the mall, museum and completion of the ZDF exhibition park.
“The Instak is cognisant of the fact that the story of the liberation struggle is 40 years late in terms of its commemoration through the vehicle of the museum and museums are very important as we say the most important thing is not to win the war, but to tell the story generation after generation.
“We are operating 24 hours under our mantra rapid and massive development which is to say as Zimbabweans as Africans we are capable of developing our country in record short space of time because while the rest of the world can afford to walk, Africa must run,” he said.
In April, President Mnangagwa approved architectural designs that are guiding the construction of the grand facility, which has multiple amenities including a mall, an animal sanctuary, and a library, among others.
It is a year now after the President held a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the Liberation City in Warren Park, Harare aimed at documenting the liberation struggle of the continent.
Online Reporter