‘Vote to defend country’s independence’

Richard Muponde

ZIMBABWEANS should vote to safeguard the country’s independence, which came after selfless sacrifices by heroes such as Cde James Chikerema, President Mnangagwa has said.

Cde Chikerema died on March 22, 2006 in the United States while seeking medical attention.

He was buried at Kutama Cemetery at Kutama Mission in Mashonaland West province.

In a speech read on his behalf by Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri at the national hero conferment ceremony in Kutama yesterday, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe needed to vote overwhelmingly to defeat imperialism “once and for all”.

“We should defend this independence from imperialists and their local puppets.

“We are going to an election on August 23. We should vote resoundingly and win the elections.

“We should finish this battle once and for all,” said President Mnangagwa.

“We are fighters. We are resilient people. Riding on the wave of unity, the New Dispensation has commenced a process of celebrating all revolutionary luminaries of both the First and Second Chimurenga.”

During the Heroes’ Day commemorations last year, the President indicated that the Second Republic was committed to giving a holistic account of our country’s war of liberation.

“We are, therefore, rising to the occasion and recognising other heroes and heroines, such as the late Cde James Robert Dambaza Chikerema.”

It is important, he said, to recognise the contribution of pioneers of the country’s liberation struggle.

President Mnangagwa also said the Second Republic is committed to uplifting people’s lives.

“Driven by the mantra ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’ (The country is built by its own people), I have initiated a transformative agenda underpinned by Vision 2030 and its enabling strategies, that is, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme and the National Development Strategy 1.

“The implementation of the programmes and projects is buttressed by citizenry participation through the devolution and decentralisation policy, in tandem with Section 264 of the Constitution,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said the all-inclusive approach by the Second Republic is positively impacting on people and communities.

“It is against this background that the Second Republic has dispensed with the notion that developing countries can only prosper through foreign funding and guidance.

“Under my watch, the New Dispensation has adopted a deliberate policy of using local expertise and the country’s natural resource endowments to propel its development trajectory,” he added.

“We are proud of our yesteryear heroes such as James Robert Dambaza Chikerema, who instilled in us values such as ‘we are our own liberators’.”

The late Cde Chikerema, President Mnangagwa said, was an avid nationalist and ignited the spirit of independence for black majority rule.

“As the founding president of the Africa National Youth League, he was among the first activists to call for ‘one man, one vote’, and opposed the Land Apportionment Act of 1930, which made it illegal for black Africans to purchase land outside the native areas in Rhodesia.

“His activism caused a lot of commotion within the structures of the colonial system, as he organised numerous strikes and boycotts. Cde Chikerema was a key leader and instrumental in the formation of several political organisations and formations during the liberation struggle.”