Gweru (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe’s independence forty years ago did not come cheap, and therefore should be cherished and vigilantly guarded, Minister of State for Midlands Province and Devolution, Senator Larry Mavima has said.
In an interview, Mavima said Zimbabweans should always remember that independence came at the cost of thousands of black lives lost in the bitter liberation struggle.
The country celebrates 40 years of independence next month.
“This is where I believe one thing His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa has constantly said – being patriotic, being Zimbabwean first, everything else second,” Mavima said.
“This independence we are celebrating, the freedom we are celebrating this year turning 40 did not come cheap. A lot of people lost their lives. A lot of young people were not able to achieve what some of us have achieved today.
“Their lives were cut short. Their opportunities were cut short and as Zimbabweans, I think it is something worth noting that 40 years is no mean period and at the same time we must never forget where we came from,” he added.
Mavima said apart from independence, the country has achieved self-determination and unity.
He said some countries have not been able to achieve peace and unity between different ethnic groups after independence, something Zimbabwe has.
Although there has been differences from a political standpoint, Mavima said unity and peace has made the country move forward.
The country in 2013 wrote its own constitution, he noted, saying this was a powerful symbol of independence and sovereignty.
“It is a home grown constitution. It is not a perfect document, but it is something that we can be proud of because it is the supreme law of the land,” he said.
Mavima also said the country had been able to take its land from the minority whites who owned the bulk of prime farmland, to re-distribute to landless peasants.
“That (acquisition of the land) is a very important aspect in terms of the means of production, in terms of the independence itself, in terms of ownership.
“A lot of countries are still battling and struggling with the issue of land but we have resolved that issue. There is no Zimbabwe without land, there is no Zimbabwe when land is owned by foreign absentee landlords. Land must be owned by the indigenous people,” he said.
In the education sector, Mavima said Zimbabweans were among the most educated people in the world, which has seen many heading major corporations around the globe.
“I would like to give credit to our founding fathers because of this education foundation laid at independence,” he said.
But Mavima said it had not all been smooth sailing in the 40 years of independence.
He said the main challenge the country has faced was sanctions which the West imposed in retaliation for the acquisition of land from white farmers.
These were imposed by the European Union and the United States.
“We believe that the sanctions are evil. They are unjustified and do affect the common man to a large extent.
“Yes we are told that these are targeted sanctions, targeted at a few, but they have a negative impact on the ordinary Zimbabweans who really have no borne to chew with the British or the Western world,” he said.
“We hope in the fullness of time, common sense will prevail and we will use our right, our opportunities and our resources and comparative advantage so that the economy grows without sanctions,” he said.
Mavima said the health sector had also improved after independence, but now faced challenges due to the sanctions.
He said although independence celebrations had been cancelled because of Covid-19, that cannot stop Zimbabweans from marking the day.
New Ziana
