Colonialism was fought in unison
ZIMBABWE’S liberation struggle that delivered hard-won independence was prosecuted by a united people with a common purpose, and that same unity should be the guiding principle in the new national goal towards economic development, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.
Introducing President Mnangagwa at the unveiling of the Pupu Monument at the Pupu battlefield memorial site in Lupane where General Mtshane Khumalo’s regiment defeated the colonial force led by Major Allan Wilson, VP Chiwenga said contrary to the colonial narrative, as shared by some sell-out elements, Zimbabwe’s resistance to colonial subjugation was always national and never guided by narrow interests or on tribal lines.
These false divisions, said the Vice President, were the creation of the settlers who sought to draw lines among the people as a means to conquer them in small isolated pockets. But in their wisdom, nationalists and even Kings before them coalesced around one common goal of wanting a free and self-determining country for the benefit of its people hence the inevitable victory in 1980.
“This historic episode shows that the people of Zimbabwe fought British encroachment as one,” said VP Chiwenga.
“You all recall that the Battle of Pupu was fought in 1893, and the
Zimbabwean people were fighting as one. This contradicts the colonial narrative which frames our collective resistance along tribal lines. The whites and some sell-outs have endeavoured to divide us, hence calling the earlier wars Anglo-Matabele wars.
“Therefore, the Second Republic prioritises peace, unity and love as we recognise and preserve our liberation heritage, such as the Pupu Monument due to its significance in the history of our great nation. The monument is indeed an epitome of one of the major battles fought by the Imbizo crack regiment against colonial invaders.
“The event is also consistent with the National Development Strategy 1, which recognises culture’s essential role in forging a sense of identity and promoting sustainable social and economic development for future generations,” said VP Chiwenga.
He said President Mnangagwa was a symbol of strength and perseverance whose family contributed immensely to colonial resistance. After his grandfather Muvhengo fought here, next was his father Sekuru Mafidhi who protested in his way, again inspiring a whole generation he and others bore.
“In the same way, the President, during the liberation struggle, fought gallantly to the bitter end. Today he leads us in a new kind of war, that of recovering our dignity through economic emancipation so that we reach an upper-middle income economy by 2028,” said VP Chiwenga.