Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
As the country counts down to the commemorations of 42 years of self-rule on Monday, three opposition parties have spoken with one voice saying Independence Day is a time for people to take off their political jackets to reflect that Zimbabweans are one people.
Newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change led by Nelson Chamisa did not respond to questions despite its national spokesperson Ms Fadzai Mahere promising to do so.
In separate interviews, opposition parties — MDC-T led by Mr Douglas Mwonzora, Professor Lovemore Madhuku’s National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) as well as Labour Economists and African Democrats (LEAD) whose president is Ms Linda Masarira said Independence Day was not a partisan event.
They said everyone should reflect on the liberation struggle and how some patriotic Zimbabweans sacrificed their lives for the nation to be liberated.
All the three parties said they will join millions of Zimbabweans across the country in celebrating the day the country was born.
“As the MDC-T, we will be attending the national Independence celebrations wherever they will be. Our view is that we were oppressed in our different political persuasions and our Independence Day came also to permeate through all our political affiliations.
Independence celebrations are not a partisan event and we treat them the same way we treat institutions like Parliament where we converge as a people for the common good of our country,” said the party’s national spokesperson Mr Witness Dube.
Ms Masarira said Independence Day was a very important day ‘as it birthed the Zimbabwe we live in today and freed all native Zimbabweans from colonisation.’ She said her party will attend the main celebrations in Bulawayo
“We are all Zimbabweans before we belong to any political party. It’s a day that we should all reflect on the liberation struggle and how some patriotic Zimbabweans sacrificed their lives for us to be liberated.
Things might not be rosy now, but all successful countries once went through recession and became economic powerhouses,” she said.
“Zimbabwe is about to rebirth into economic prosperity. The darkest hour is before dawn. All this shall come to pass. Stop cursing your country, start believing that together we can positively transform Zimbabwe if we tolerate each other in our diversity and work towards nation building and development.
You are the leader that you have been waiting for. It’s time to LEAD and ensure sustainable economic and human development in Zimbabwe”.
Professor Madhuku, said the NCA leadership will attend the celebrations not just in Bulawayo but all over the country.
He said Independence Day was very important on the calendar of the country and it must be important to everyone as it was a time when people must reflect their oneness saying whatever differences there are, they must be reduced to zero.
“We must put away all our differences of whatever nature, be they political, ethnic, religious or gender, all our differences must be reduced to zero when it comes to Independence Day and that is what as an organization we believe the day is.
Once we remind ourselves that we are one people and one nation, after independence celebrations, we must then realise that we don’t need to perpetuate certain differences but must actually be better after the commemorations,” said Prof Madhuku.
Zapu national spokesperson Msongelwa Ndlovu did not indicate whether his party will attend the Monday commemorations or not, noting that they will be announcing how they will be celebrating the day in a manner that reflects its relevance to ‘our people’.
Online Reporter