Vusumuzi Dube
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa says the country must not dwell on matters of the past but forge ahead to reach a common goal of uniting communities affected by the disturbances of yesterday.
He has speaking during the launch of the Gukurahundi community engagement programme at State House in Bulawayo this Sunday afternoon.
“I wish to urge you all not to dwell on the shadows of yesterday, but to focus on the future of our country. Let us turn our attention to a new dawn, a brighter future. A future where the scars of yesterday no longer fester, but become stepping stones on the path to a stronger, more unified Zimbabwe. A nation can only be built by a unified people,” said President Mnangagwa.
The launch comes after numerous consultations with stakeholders, largely traditional chiefs who are at the fore of ensuring that all communities get the restoration that they deserve.
President Mnangagwa said the Gukurahundi Community Outreach Programme is a step towards healing.
“This exercise is not simply a mechanism for revisiting grievances but it is a transformative odyssey, a pilgrimage towards healing and national cohesion. This initiative is a potent symbol of our collective will to bridge the divides that have separated us for too long. It places the onus of healing squarely on the shoulders of its most capable custodians – our esteemed Chiefs.
“With their knowledge of tradition and wisdom, they will guide us through through open dialogue, fostering empathy and understanding. As we share our stories, the wounds of the past will begin to mend, thereby enabling national healing,” he said.
The President said the divisions along tribal lines that have rocked Zimbabwe are from the country’s detractors.
“History records that all internal divisions amongst us as a people have been instigated by our detractors in various guises through generations. It is our detractors who worked tirelessly to pit one tribe against the other during the colonial era. These oppressors sought to sow seeds of division amongst liberation struggle fighters and within communities. Their interference and machinations were designed to divide us and consequently created our post-independence conflicts. We are aware that the same forces have not abandoned their ultimate goal of thwarting the realisation of our determination to remain as united Zimbabweans. Our unity must stand as an immovable barrier to prevent their historic goal of subjugating us in numerous ways including in the economic sphere,” added President Mnangagwa.
He said the interference by our detractors manifests itself in different ways.
“They manifest as political parties with a regional agenda that seeks to divide our people and to question the unitary nature of our State. They manifest as voluntary organisations ostensibly concerned with the people’s plight yet they exaggerate and magnify regional grievances whilst at the same time seeking to belittle our efforts at reconciliation and unity at the behest of their founders. We see them! They are present in all forms of the media including social media, propagating statements of hatred, difference and vengeance against specific groupings of our nation. We see them! Let us all say to them, you shall not succeed,” he warned.
Furthermore, he said this Community Outreach Programme which was launched today provides a platform for us to come together, to share the burdens of the past, and to collectively chart a course for a brighter future.
@NyembeziMu.
Londile Moyo
Online Reporter