adminCletus Mushanawani News Editor
TO prophets of doom, last Thursday’s historic meeting between Zimbabwe’s founding father, President Mugabe and his peers, war veterans was meant to have blood on floor.
Alas, that was not the case as the veterans of the struggle chose April 7, 2016 as the day to show the world that they are a disciplined lot, a people who believe in frankly airing their grievances in a sober manner.
When it was announced that 10 000 liberation war veterans will throng Harare City Sports Centre for the crunch indaba, some sections of the media went into overdrive and came with different conclusions. Armchair analysts were roped in and led some gullible Zimbabweans on the path of deceit. To them, it was a day for the mother of all battles where President Mugabe would meet his match.
However, at the end of the day they were left to lick wounds of humiliation and left the comfort of their offices with tails nicely tucked between their legs as a carnival atmosphere had gripped Harare City Sports Centre with war veterans freely airing their views on what they think should be done to rejuvenate the ruling Zanu-PF.
At the meeting held under the theme: ‘Lets we Forget,Vana vevhu, abantwana omhlabathi’ the war veterans took time to go down the memory lane as the sang revolutionary songs like, their war anthem, Mwoyo Wangu, Nzira dzemaSoja, Sendekera Mukoma Chakanyuka and Tipeiwo Chimoto.
The songs reignited the never say die spirit that forced the late former Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith to eat a humble pie as he once declared that there would not be majority rule in Zimbabwe in a thousand years before shifting goalposts to say never in his life time.
However, this was not to be the case as this happened 27 years before his death. Zimbabwe celebrated its independence on April 18, 1980 and through President Mugabe’s well celebrated policy of reconciliation, Smith enjoyed Zimbabwe’s acclaimed hospitality until he breathed his last on November 20, 2007.
To show that war veterans want nothing, but peace, the war veterans proudly displayed well thought out messages on placards which added colour to the event.
All messages that were displayed on placards called for unity.
Some of the placards read: United We Stand, Divided We Fall. Pamberi neZanu-PF, President Tokudai Hatikurasisei, Together As One With Our Patron, Simuka Zimbabwe, Takatsidza Kufira Nyika yeZimbabwe and Ropa Rangu Uchariona Pasi Pemureza weZimbabwe.
President Mugabe in his keynote expressed the importance of regular meetings with the veterans of the struggle for them to be on the same wave length on the happenings on the country.
“Gungano nderenyu iri varwi, gungano nderenyu iri kuona kwatakabva, gungano nderenyu iri kuona kuti kwatiri kuenda ndekupi. Patiri ndepapi? Hongu tinozvitarisa isu pacheduwo pahupenyu hwedu nemhuri dzedu asi chikuru nekuti tiri vanhu vakazcipiraka. Chikuru inyika, chikuru huzhinji hwevanhu veZimbabwe. Kuti gwara ratakavaisa iri, nzira nayo iyi, ndiyo here nzira yatakarwira.
“Tinofara. Vanga vachikubatsirai vanga vachitoti hatingazosangane zvakare mushure memakore mashanu ndikati aah, kwete. Gore negore, mwedzi nemwedzi vamwe vari kuenda, vamwe vakura. Hatichava vadiki tinoramba tichikura, tosvika pamugumo.
“Saka ndanga ndichiti kunaVaSekeramayi apo, kwete, zvatasangana pano zuva ranhasi, gore rino iri 2016, ngatisanganei zvakare gore rinouya 2017. Topota tichizviongorora tichizvisimbaradza. Vachiine masimba masimba tichiona. Vanenge tichiona kuti avava habasisina masimba toonawo nourwere hwacho ndopatinenge tichionawo kuti aah vamwe vedu vakuenda,” said President Mugabe.
As the patron of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans, President Mugabe took the opportunity to lay the law and called for discipline among all cadres.
“. . . that is how you behave, you don’t ignore, you don’t despise, you move along nokuti ndozvinoitwa. By the end of the day, kana wadaro, wanga uchizvipira kutyora during the war, after the war you must have the same discipline. Kwete kuti ungazoburitse parurimi rwako izwi rekutuka vakuru, hazviite, hazvibvumidzwe. Vakuru vanoti ho, uchaona zvauchaona havakutaurire zvakawanda.
“Don’t ever do that because you are at that position, I never do that. Kana ndine machief, when I go to my own chief kwaZvimba ndinotovaomberawo. Ivo vanotondipa rukudzo saPresident, but customarily I am child of the clan. So you have to have that discipline, zvino vamwe venyu you have lost that discipline, that is not good. You can’t say rude words, you should never, never have to say rude words to your elders, never ever.
“The discipline you get in the army, that external discipline, right turn, left turn, about turn, forward march, whether you like it or not, you must right turn, left turn, about turn and forward march, whether you like it or not, that is military, it is external, but in life, it is the internal discipline, what you say to yourself, you forward march yourself, you about turn yourself, so know that there are these two forms of discipline, the external and internal,” said President Mugabe.He reminded war veterans to be wary of some within their ranks who wine and dine with whites. “Isu war veterans now ndisu tinoziva gwaraka, ndisu tinoziva ideology. We should not be seen dining and supping with the imperialists, tonzwa kuti aa vamwe venyu mawar veterans enyu vanotodya nemaAmericans uko tinovona kumarestraraunts uko vazvere ko vanenge vachitaurei navo, chii chamunenge muchiinga ikoko.
“It is the work of only foreign affairs to interact with these foreigners external representatives, are you a spy or you are becoming an agent, what friendship is it, it will be misrepresented by the ordinary people, so take care,” he said.
President Mugabe reiterated his call for unity in resisting the enemy who is trying to use the succession issue to divide the party.
“Then within the party we may be agreed on the other aspects of our ideology, but the party has within it even now, ambitious people, vanoda kutora position yakati kumaprovince, position yakati apapa, some are looking forward kuti aa tomorrow President, vamwe vanotocalculator kuti aa President is going to die. Vamwe vanotonyora kumapepa aa the President is sick. He has gone to Malaysia or Singapore ari kurwara so he is on his way dying. Woona zvino vanhu vavakumhanyidzana kuti aa zvazvadayi zvino President vavakuzofa; handisikufa munyare.
“But I have even said I am there at the mercy of the people. If the people say aaa go, I go. The party. But if the people say no we still want you, I stay on.
“Let us be organised. Let us not bother ourselves about succession and things like that. Look ahead, we have got enemies who are trying to destroy us. Let us unite. Unite in resisting the enemy. Unite in working together. Maprojects aya, that is only when we can succeed,” summed up President Mugabe.
Online Reporter