Harare, (New Ziana) — President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday led the ruling ZANU PF party and the nation at large in a solemn remembrance of the passing of the country’s founding post-independence leader, the late President Robert Mugabe.
He died on September 6, 2019.
In his commemorative message, President Mnangagwa hailed Cde. Mugabe as a freedom fighter par excellence, a veteran nationalist, and revered frontline statesman whose fearless leadership championed the political and economic emancipation of both Zimbabwe and the wider African continent.
Born on 21 February 1924, the late President Mugabe endured eleven years of imprisonment at the hands of the settler colonial regime before emerging in 1975 to lead ZANU in an armed struggle for independence from bases in Mozambique.
President Mnangagwa said his predecessor’s steadfast leadership in the protracted armed struggle, known as the Second Chimurenga/Umvukela, culminated in Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980.
He described the late President Mugabe as a true son of the soil and iconic liberation fighter whose political astuteness shaped the First Republic.
“Among his landmark legacies, the Land Reform Programme redefined land ownership patterns, addressing historic injustices of colonial dispossession. His indigenisation and economic empowerment policies sought to restore dignity, self-belief, and resilience to Zimbabweans, even in the face of illegal sanctions,” he said.
He added that in the social sphere, Mugabe was lauded for broadening access to education and healthcare for the once marginalised majority blacks.
In recognition of this, President Mnangagwa said, the Second Republic established a National Honours and Awards category in his name, dedicated to human capital development.
Placing Mugabe’s legacy in the broader African liberation context, President Mnangagwa likened him to a pantheon of continental giants including Julius Nyerere, Jomo Kenyatta, Kenneth Kaunda, Samora Machel, Agostino Neto, Sam Nujoma, Joshua Nkomo, and Nelson Mandela.
“He was a fervent Pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to fighting apartheid, promoting African renaissance, and advancing the cause of the downtrodden across the world,” he said.
Looking forward, he reiterated the Second Republic’s commitment to carrying forward the late President Mugabe’s national development vision through National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and NDS2.
Guided by the philosophy “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” (a nation is built by its citizens), President Mnangagwa pledged inclusive growth that leaves no one and no place behind.
New Ziana
