Co-exist, ED urges Chemagora farmers and illegal settlers
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has urged farm owners in the Chemagora area in Gokwe to accommodate illegal settlers who have been allowed to stay in the area while Government is looking for alternative land to resettle them.
The President’s call for co-existence comes amid reports of intermittent violent clashes between farmers and illegal settlers, with legitimate farmers allegedly hiring thugs to attack the illegal settlers.
Government last year evicted the 4 500 families who, under the old dispensation, illegally resettled themselves on privately owned farms in the Chemagora area.
The illegal settlers were later allowed to return to their old homes after Government could not immediately find alternative land.
Addressing a meeting which was attended by the provincial Joint Operation Command (JOC), farm owners and the illegal settlers recently in the Chemagora area, Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs, Senator Larry Mavima, said it was President Mnangagwa’s plea to the farmers in the area to co-exist, while Government was still working on their permanent resettlement.
“I recently went to the President’s farm together with the party’s provincial chairman, Cde Mackenzie Ncube, to find out the President’s position on the situation here in Chemagora,” said Minister Mavima.
“So, I have a message from his Excellency the President. He said his position has not changed. Let me reiterate the position. He called for co-existence. If anyone is in doubt of that position then they can exercise their constitutional right.”
Senior Reporter
GENERALJOSIAHMAGAMATONGOGARA’S widow, Mrs Angeline Kumbirai Tongogara, and artists who worked on the late national hero’s collection of photographs, video recordings and letters have been commended for their hard work in preserving and telling the history of the liberation war fighter.
Affectionately known as Gen Tongo, he would have turned 82 on Tuesday and has been immortalised through a running exhibition in Harare giving insights into his family life, strategies and never-seen-before images.
One of the key figures in the country’s liberation war, Gen Tongo commanded Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) forces, the military wing of Zanu now Zanu PF.
First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday visited a photo and art exhibition at the National Art Gallery in honour of the late national hero..
The exhibition, which was officially opened on Tuesday, saw Government officials, generals, friends, family and the public converging at the NGZ for the 40th anniversary of Gen Tongo’s death.
The exhibition, which showcases the military history of the late general, is also meant to educate youths on the country’s road to independence.
Amai Mnangagwa, who was accompanied by Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Kirsty Coventry and Deputy Minister Tino Machakaire, was taken through the life of the late Gen Tongo by his son, Mr Tichafa Tongogara.
The First Lady said the work of the artists told stories about the life of Gen Tongo, how he contributed to the liberation struggle and his life as a family man.
She said the late national hero’s love for his wife was evident through the letters he used to write.
“If you look at one picture you can write a story on the history of Cde Tongo who fought on our behalf and today we are walking freely. He sacrificed his life and went out there to fight and now we are enjoying.
“The love of Cde Tongo to his wife Senator Angelina Tongogara and family is evident through the love letters they wrote to each other at the height of the war,” she said.
She applauded Amai Tongogara for preserving the letters and setting a good example to the younger generation and the visual artists for their craftsmanship.
“Without these artists we would not be able to know all these; we would not have been able to visualise the kind of man that he was,” she said.
Tichafa, who was only eight when his father died, paid tribute to the artists, who painstakingly came up with the different pieces of art that told the history of his father.
“This is great work and we really appreciate all the effort which has been put into this collection by these brilliant artists. At least my father lives through their work.”
According to Mrs Tongogara, the photographs, video recordings, rare memorabilia and letters written by the late national hero provide a glimpse into the war of liberation through his eyes.
She said the exhibition is part of their shared history.
“It’s time to honour our own and write our own history. I call upon other families and war veterans to come forward and share the history. I call upon the youth to come for these exhibitions and relive this journey of what happened before you were born,” she said.
Although he met his unfortunate demise on December 26, 1979 in Mozambique, General Tongogara’s name remains indelible in the country’s history.