Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo [email protected]
RETIRED Colonel Thomas Ngwenya says liberation fighters must forever be honoured for the sacrifices they made in the struggle for Zimbabwe’s independence.
Speaking at the Nkulumane Provincial Heroes Acre where Bulawayo gathered for the annual Heroes Day commemorations on Monday, Rtd Col Ngwenya said the day was significant as it provided Zimbabweans with an opportunity to honour those who sacrificed their lives during the liberation struggle.
“It’s a big day for the nation as we remember our fallen cadres, however this remembrance and honour must not be for those who have left us but even the living,” said Rtd Col Ngwenya.
He said the sacrifices made by liberation fighters should continue to be recognised, particularly by future generations who did not experience the brutality of colonial rule.
Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube presided over the provincial commemorations, where she delivered President Mnangagwa’s Heroes Day message.
Rtd Col Ngwenya, who was born on January 10, 1935, in Matobo District into a family of seven, was among the early pioneers of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
In 1962, with colonial forces closing in after he was branded a “terrorist” for allegedly distributing arms to destabilise the settler regime of Southern Rhodesia, he crossed into what is now Zambia, setting him irreversibly on the path of armed resistance.
Known during the liberation struggle by the pseudonym “Menu”, Rtd Col Ngwenya has a wealth of wartime experiences that offer a stark and often harrowing account of the suffering endured by Zimbabweans and freedom fighters under white colonial rule.
His experiences form part of the living history of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle, which Heroes Day seeks to preserve and pass on to future generations.
