THIS year’s Heroes’ Day is being celebrated amid despair caused by misrule, the MDC led by Welshman Ncube said yesterday.
Staff Reporter
Thousands of Zimbabweans are expected to gather at provincial heroes’ acres across the country today to celebrate the country’s heroes. The main celebrations will be at the National Heroes’ Acre in Harare, “Sadly once again, the sacrifices made by these heroes are being tainted by misrule and flagrant abuse of human rights in a free Zimbabwe by those at the helm of the government,” MDC spokesperson Nhanhla Dube said in a statement.
“For the people of Chingwizi, displaced by the Tokwe-Mukosi floods in Masvingo nearly a year ago, this year’s Heroes’ and Defence Forces holidays mark the continued hopelessness, uncertainty, desperation and a loss of dignity as the government continues to dehumanise, harass and punish them.”
Dube said for the majority of Zimbabweans, life continues to be a daily toil as the economy slumps further and “threatens a complete shutdown.”
“Companies continue to close down at a rapid pace, financial liquidity strangles the markets and unemployment continues to increase with no hint of a solution in sight. Health and education sectors continue to deteriorate,” he said.
“This is definitely not what our heroes fought for. Our heroes sacrificed their lives so that we may live in the land of milk and honey.
“It is becoming painfully apparent that this will not be possible under a Zanu PF government.”
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Dube said Heroes’ Day had also been trivalised by Zanu PF’s personalisation of the process to honour gallant Zimbabweans.
“We pay special tribute to all the unrecognised heroes and heroines of our struggle, all those denied hero status by the partisan Zanu PF simply because they did not belong to that party,” he said.
“We honour their families who have been denied the honour, respect, recognition and benefits befitting the sacrifices made by their loved ones. We celebrate the sacrifices, the blood, sweat and tears shed by these heroes for the attainment of a better Zimbabwe for all its citizens.”
He urged the government to remember that they were merely custodians and superintendents of national resources and not the sole proprietors.
“That the future generations must find Zimbabwe in a better state than when the current national leadership found it,” he said. “It is still possible for our nation to celebrate our history as a united people removed from the culture of patronage.
“It is still possible for Zanu PF to stand with all of us in celebrating the heroes of Zimbabwe and not heroes of Zanu PF.
“The MDC salutes all our heroes both living and departed, named or unstated. We say thank you for your selfless gift.”
