Hosia Mviringi
“Our rallying unifying and development call that, ” Ilizwe liyakwa, libuswe ngabanikazi balo, Nyika inovakwa, Inotongwa navene vayo”, must echo through our Provinces, Districts and Wards, businesses, churches, communities and homes.”
This was a defining statement by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at Bulawayo State House on Independence Day’s eve as he ushered the nation into a new inclusive trajectory which recognises Zimbabwe as a sovereign unitary state whose development must be anchored and driven by its own people.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa reiterated Zimbabwe’s commitment to continue forging ahead on the path of collective self-determination, self rule and internally driven development.
Speaking at a colourful reception to mark the 42nd Anniversary of the country’s Independence, the President committed Zimbabwe, under the Second Republic, firmly under the dictates of one flag, one history and one collective goal towards collective development through devolution and decentralisation.
“This long overdue gesture, must thus serve to reinforce the truth that we are one country under one National Flag. It is this national flag which is an embodiment of who we are as Zimbabweans.
Every stripe and feature on our national flag must therefore be a vivid reminder of what constitutes us as a nation,” said the President.
The country’s beautiful national flag was carefully crafted to represent and be a constant reminder of the values, ethos, sacrifices made towards political freedom, and the sacred roles bequeathed from one generation to the other in preservation thereof.
It was the President’s call for Zimbabweans to remember where the nation comes from, and to collectively work towards preservation and upholding of historical national values as espoused under the national flag and the shared goals and aspirations.
“The blood of the many sons and daughters who paid the supreme sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy to this today, the land that we fought for which we must continue to defend, nurture and make sustainably productive, the rich minerals that are scattered beneath our feet which we must exploit to modernise and industrialise our economy for the benefit of all as independent people, is who we are,” he continued.
The holding of this year’s Independence celebrations in Bulawayo, for the first time outside Harare, marks a turn for the positive, in fulfilment of the letter and spirit of devolution and decentralisation.
The concept of devolution behoves government to pass on the role for community development to local communities, in the process empowering them to be masters of local development. This, the President said, will spur internally driven economic development which fosters unity and peace.
The Independence eve banquet, which was attended by a cross section of dignitaries from the Diplomatic community, business, and foreign invited guests, marked a defining moment in the country’s uncompromising foreign policy which is in response to the realities of current international relations, which have seen Zimbabwe endure two decades of isolation under the yoke of unjust Western economic sanctions.
Indeed, Zimbabwe will not be apologetic for repossessing and bequeathing its land resources to the indigenous black majority, on its own a milestone towards the fulfilment of the liberation struggle aspirations.
“It is God who chose us to be citizens of this great nation. On this eve of the 42nd Anniversary, we take pride in our renewed sense of self-belief. We are now marching forward with clarity and vision, emboldened by that self belief which saw us wage and win the protracted war of liberation,” said the President.
Accordingly, the President reaffirmed government’s commitment to grow a self sustaining economy which is capable of producing a wide range of goods, products and services for domestic consumption as well as for export.
This, he said, will cushion the nation from the effects of imported economic shocks such as inflation and product shortages due to effects of economic sanctions.
This has been a manifestation of decades-long dependence on the fragile foreign direct investment and outsourcing of services from outside the country.
“We will honour God and the fallen sons and daughters of this land, by producing the food we eat, manufacturing our own clothes, constructing our own roads and dams, building our own schools and clinics as well as innovating and inventing as we define and create our own prosperous and empowered future, as Zimbabweans, brick by brick, stone upon stone,” he said.
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