Go ye well venerated daughters of the soil

he month of April in Zimbabwe is one most intimately associated with both jubilation and the birth pangs of our Independence. It is the month in which we celebrate our freedom on April 18, but also an occasion which reminds us of the sacrifices of those who made such celebrations possible. It should be a sacred month.

This time, more than on any other previous occasion, Zimbabwe has been plunged into grief and mourning following the deaths of two heroines of the Zimbabwean liberation struggle.

Comrades Victoria Chitepo and Vivian Mwashita died on the same day last Friday and are both being buried at the National Heroes Acre today.

They join on those hallowed grounds a galaxy of other sons and daughters of the soil who paid the supreme price for the motherland or succumbed to different ailments well into Independence.

The Zanu-PF Politburo decided unanimously in both cases that Cdes Chitepo and Mwashita deserved a double funeral at the national shrine. It is a place reserved for those who gave exemplary service for the Independence of Zimbabwe and continued to serve with dedication thereafter. We do well to recall this because it — has not always been an easy road regardless of whether one went to war or not. The period from the launch of the land reclamation movement from 2000 has been a particularly trying one.

For many that marked the end of the long honeymoon of Independence euphoria as the fasttrack land reform brought in its wake crippling economic sanctions from Western nations as punishment.

Britain and its allies were so used that independence for African nations began and ended with giving the country a new flag and the ascension to political power by a black elite. It had become a tradition that independence did not go beyond the symbolism and trappings of power.

After the ceremonies and fanfare of installation, the settlers would retreat to the background of the political stage, but retain control of the economy through ownership of all the means of production. That is the tradition which the fast- track land reform sought to break and disrupt. After the 10-year moratorium on land reform agreed at Lancaster House, followed by interminable and inconclusive negotiations of the next decade, Zanu-PF finally resolved it was time to take on the bull by the horns. It was time to deliver on the thorny issue of land which had inspired thousands of Zimbabweans to cross borders and take up arms to confront the stubborn settler regime.

That is what brought about the evil Western sanctions on Zimbabwe.

The sanctions-induced suffering soon began to wreak havoc on the spirit of the cadres of the revolutionary party. Many could not endure the pain and began to waver. Others broke rank completely on promises of better fortunes by the West. There was a mushrooming of political parties of questionable integrity whose agendas have never been clarified. The likes of Cdes Chitepo and Mwashita did not waver in their commitment to the cause of the people. They did not lose their way. They understood that true Independence could not be attained without personal sacrifice and commitment. They understood that without economic power, political independence was an illusion.

They understood that sanctions were the price Zimbabwe must pay for asserting its Independence. They rejected inducements of money and false power by the enemy to join fly by night political formations sponsored to undermine the cause of the people’s struggle.

It is for these steadfast qualities that these two women are being jointly honoured today at the Heroes Acre. The nation would do well to carry these thoughts as we prepare for Independence celebrations next week. It did not come easy and there will be challenges in keeping it. Achieving people’s dreams will not be easy in a world dominated by greedy for the natural resources of smaller nations by the powerful.

It is through the exemplary sacrifices and selflessness of people like Chitepo and Mwashita and the rest of the gallant sons and daughters buried at the Heroes Acre that today’s youth can assert the uniqueness of Zimbabwe. May their dear souls guide and preserve Zimbabwe.