The Sunday Mail
AS the country celebrates Independence Day on Thursday, war veterans hold a special place as they sacrificed their lives for the freedom being enjoyed today. In 2022, ZANU PF incorporated war veterans to be a fully fledged wing of the party under the ZANU PF War Veterans League. Our reporter EMMANUEL KAFE spoke to the Secretary for Administration of the ZANU PF War Veterans League, CDE RICHARD CHIRONGWE, about the significance of Independence Day celebrations to war veterans.
*******************
Q: Beyond the general celebration, what specific aspects of Independence Day resonate most with war veterans?
A: Independence Day is the most important day for us war veterans. It brings a lot of mixed emotions because we celebrate what is most important to every Zimbabwean — freedom. Knowing that we are living in an independent Zimbabwe brings unparalleled joy. It reminds us of the conquest of the enemy and the attainment of total liberation in 1980. But, at the same time, we also feel distressed as we remember the thousands of comrades we lost when we fought the war.
However, I can say that the joy triumphs over the grief because going to war was a sacrifice, and even those whom we lost are resting in peace, with the gratification that what they died for was accomplished.
Q: What do war vets make of the Second Republic’s decision to decentralise the national Uhuru Day celebrations?
A: War veterans are very pleased to see the celebrations being held in various areas besides Harare. This aligns with the theme of leaving no one and no place behind, repeatedly emphasised by President Mnangagwa. We appreciate that Zimbabwe is not Harare and war veterans are dotted around all corners of the country and they want to see the national celebrations coming to them.
Q: How special was Manicaland, where Independence Day celebrations are going to take place, to the liberation struggle?
A: The value of Manicaland province cannot be overstated. We crossed Manicaland to go to Mozambique to join the war as teenagers. So, it is the cauldron of the struggle, where everything happened. In most places you go to in Manicaland, there is some history of the liberation struggle. The people of Manicaland also have vivid memories of the liberation struggle and their lives were shaped by the war to liberate the country.
Q: How many war vets will attend this year’s event?
A: We are expecting approximately 10 000 war veterans from all 10 provinces.
Q: How can you justify this figure?
A: We believe there are about 35 000 war veterans that are still alive today. That is why we are expecting such a large number.
Q: Are there any special activities that the war vets have lined up for this year’s event?
A: We expect to go to Dzapasi Assembly Point, where comrades will march and salute in respect of those who lost their lives fighting to free the country. We are going to hold a vigil at the assembly point. We want to do the same drills that we used to do during the liberation struggle. As you are aware, Dzapasi was the largest assembly point after the ceasefire in 1979. So, it gives us a nostalgic connection to independence because this was the place where our (ZANLA) commander General Solomon Mujuru and Rhodesia’s army commander (General Bart Barnard) shook hands to say the war was over.
Q: The ZANU PF War Veterans League became a fully fledged wing of ZANU PF in 2022. What have been some of the benefits of this development?
A: When we held our inaugural conference in September 2022, President Mnangagwa described the ZANU PF War Veterans League as the missing and final piece in the party.
As war veterans, we will never be apologetic about being a wing of ZANU PF because it was ZANU PF, through ZANU and ZAPU, that brought the country’s independence.
As the War Veterans League, we are comprehensively coordinating with other wings of the party — the Main Wing, the Youth League and the Women’s League — to defend the gains of the liberation struggle and safeguard the independence that we bravely fought for by mobilising for our party.
We are also coordinating socio-economic activities because political freedom is not sufficient without economic freedom.
Q: Do you think enough is being done to honour comrades who died during the war; those who did not see an independent Zimbabwe?
A: Those who died during the liberation struggle fall under two categories. Some were properly identified after their deaths and received proper burials.
However, we have those who died during the war and were not given proper burials. Some are still buried in mass graves and unmarked graves.
I would like to see more being done to such comrades.
I believe that all who died during the liberation struggle should be identified and accorded liberation hero status.
This status should entitle their families to get monthly gratuities from the Government.
Some years ago, I founded the Memories of Zimbabwe Armed Struggle Trust to spearhead research and preservation of the history of Zimbabwe’s two Chimurengas.
We will continue to do such work under the ZANU PF War Veterans League.
