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Tongogara honour timely

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THE decision by Government to honour the Zimbabwe National Liberation Army (ZANLA) military commander and liberation war hero General Josiah Magama Tongogara by beginning the legal process to rename King George VI Barracks after him is important in many ways.
In the first instance is the fact that the war of liberation, despite efforts by Zimbabwe’s detractors to tarnish and dismiss its significance is a vital cog of our country’s history.
This is the history that has shaped the country and makes our heroes and heroines unique.
There is no better way to honour them than the route that Government has taken in the case of the great General Tongogara.
The significance of the honour bestowed on General Tongogara is that the story of Zimbabwe’s history will never be lost.
Concerted efforts have in the past been made by the West and their allies to extinguish the liberation struggle narrative.
However, these efforts have and will come to naught if we continue as a people to honour our heroes and heroines of the struggle.
Our heroes belong to the past, present and future of the country.
They are the epitome of our success as a nation.
They are the glue that brings the nation together as one people.
They are the face of the many revolutions we have undertaken since independence.
The Land Reform and Resettlement Programme whose success we celebrate everyday was as a result of their sweat, blood, commitment and dedication.
The same applies to the ongoing Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Programme.
Without their efforts we would not have embarked on these programmes.
Equally hearting is the fact that such honour is not only being bestowed on General Tongogara.
The proposal to rename the Zimbabwe National Defence College after the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) commander Cde Albert Nikita Mangena is both timely and poignant.
This is so especially when some comrades in the ruling ZANU PF Party are seemingly straying from the path of the liberation and following the disgraced Dumiso Dabengwa way.
There is an obsession by Dabengwa to latch on to the lack of honour of ZIPRA members at any given time.
The proposed honour of Mangena will surely put him and his ludicrous aspersions to rest.
Second is that the current fissures in ZANU PF are as a result of some comrades’ failure to grasp the essence of the liberation struggle.
While these comrades are preoccupied with their supposed ‘loss’ of positions and post in both the party and Government, the bigger picture is consolidating the gains of the liberation struggle through service delivery.
The names of General Tongogara and Mangena should invoke a sense of commitment by these comrades regardless of the positions or lack thereof they have in the party.
Greats like Tongogara and Mangena’s commitment were not about positions, but the overall wellbeing of Zimbabwe.
This message must never elude our erstwhile ‘angry’ comrades in ZANU PF.
The struggle is far from over.
Year 2018 is not far and there is no time to cause ruptures at a time their preoccupation should be delivering what they promised to the people.
If Tongogara and company had been obsessed with and about positions, Zimbabwe would never have been born.
Their honour by Government must be a symbolism of the rewards of humility and hardwork.

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