Zanu-PF wants all colonial names of provinces renamed

Nqobile Tshili, [email protected]
THE ruling Zanu-PF has directed the Government to rename the country’s provinces and rid them of colonial names that cause division.

The decision was reached during the Zanu-PF 21st Annual National People’s Conference, which ended in Bulawayo on Saturday.

The party expects its conference resolutions to be implemented by different Government departments and agencies.

To ensure that the party’s resolutions are in harmony with Government programming and budgeting, Zanu-PF now holds its conference before the announcement of the national budget for the upcoming year.

It held this year’s conference under the theme: “Industrialise and Modernise Towards the Attainment of Vision 2030”, supporting the national development plan outlined by President Mnangagwa.

Presenting the conference’s resolutions, Zanu-PF Secretary for Legal Affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, expressed that the party had decided for the Government to rename the country’s provinces to improve national cohesion.

“On liberation war heritage, the party directs Government to accelerate renaming of provinces and do away with colonial names, which divide the nation,” said Cde Chinamasa.

Reacting to the party’s resolution, historian, Mr Methembe Hadebe, commended the ruling party for the resolution, saying the decision was long overdue.

“The naming of the provinces was part of the colonialists’ divide and rule antics. It was a programme that was meant to make people not see themselves beyond their ethnicity,” he said.

“Changing the names of the provinces will create national pride as opposed to having people thinking only of their ethnicity. This is a welcome development and I believe this is long overdue,” said Mr Hadebe.

He said even the implementation of national projects will have a buy in from every Zimbabwean as it will be inclusive in nature promoting national heritage.

Mr Hadebe said the renaming of the provinces should be accompanied by a review of the country’s educational curriculum and address historical misconceptions.

When colonialists settled in the country, they named provinces along ethnic lines with the southern parts of the country named Matabeleland largely because

Ndebele speaking people dominated the areas while the northern parts were named Mashonaland as Shona ethnic groups dominated the areas.

The eastern part of the country was named Manicaland as mostly people of Manyika origins came from the area. Mr Hadebe said the colonial naming was against the spirit of national oneness.

Furthermore, Cde Chinamasa said as part of the restoration of the liberation war heritage, the Government must refurbish and maintain all national provincial and district heroes’ shrines.

“We enjoin Government to expedite the vetting of outstanding war veterans of the liberation struggle. Gazette the names of veterans of the liberation struggle and make timely payments of appropriate gratuities and issue recognition awards,” he said.

“Enhance protocol policy to recognise veterans of the liberation struggle at all State occasions,” said Cde Chinamasa.

He said the party also directs the Government to prioritise the disbursement of resources for exhumations and re-burials of veterans of the liberation struggle.

Cde Chinamasa said the party further directs the Government to protect veterans of the liberation struggle from land evictions and undue development planning by local authorities that affect veterans of the liberation struggle and their lawful dependents.

“The party directs the Government to establish provincial museums to preserve the memories of the liberation struggle coupled with an autobiography centre,” he said.

“The party directs Government to develop a policy for the design and erection of statues of national heroes in the provinces and implement a policy that will guarantee State-assisted burials for liberation war heroes and liberation heroes,” said Cde Chinamasa.

The party further urged the Government to engage the British government to fulfil its promise to contribute financially to paying compensation to former white commercial farmers.

Despite the party resolving to lobby the British government to pay white farmers for the developments made on the land, the Government resolved to pay US$3,5 billion for developments made on farms under the Global Compensation Deed.

The Government has been gradually making payments to farmers for the upgrades made at expropriated farms. — @nqotshili