THE passing on of our war heroes always reminds us of the supreme sacrifice of our liberation fighters, who, against all odds, remained steadfast in their determination  to achieve their goal of ridding Zimbabwe of colonial rule.

The Second Republic has since reignited this spirit by boldly venturing into development projects, despite illegal sanctions and other natural impediments like climate change.

During the liberation war, the Ian Smith regime, aided by our erstwhile colonisers, was determined to foil our attempts. But they failed.

Despite the hardships piled upon ordinary people because of their support of the liberation struggle, they never wavered. 

And today, Smith’s cousins from the West have imposed illegal sanctions to cripple our progress.

This, according to US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Chester Crocker, would make the ‘economy scream’, forcing people to rebel against ZANU PF. Indeed the economy is not performing as well as it should due to the Western-imposed illegal economic sanctions; what with erratic rains, the COVID-19 pandemic and now the price hikes that have been influenced by the Russia/Ukraine conflict. Like during the days of the liberation war, these hurdles have not blurred the vision of the Government of the Second Republic. Just as during the liberation war there was a definite purpose for the struggle – to achieve an independent Zimbabwe. With the Second Republic, the goal is to achieve an upper-middle income economy by 2030.

In common parlance, this is known as Vision 2030. And we cannot achieve Vision 2030 without first establishing an infrastructure commensurate with the envisaged economy. Just as during the liberation war, this infrastructural development, leaves no corner of Zimbabwe behind. This has seen the Second Republic breathe life into projects which had been stalled for ages. For instance, the Murehwa District Registry Office, with an e-Passport Bio-Enrollment Centre, is a project that had been stalled for 17 years.

The e-Passport Bio-Enrollment Centre is a first of its kind in a rural setting. 

There is no longer any need for a  Murehwa resident to come all the way to Harare to get a passport.

Such kind of services are going to cascade to other rural areas as the Second Republic pursues its rural industrialisation policy.

The Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, construction of the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Highway and the upgrade of the Beitbridge Border Post are among some of the major projects undertaken by the Second Republic.

So, despite sanctions and sadistic interventions by regime change agents, mammoth projects, involving millions of dollars, are going on.

There are several other projects countrywide, like the construction of schools, dams and clinics, among others, as the country prepares for Vision 2030.

What is clear here is that the spirit established during the liberation war, where adversities were no hindrance to set objectives, lives on in the Second Republic. 

While all this is happening  you hear of some characters from Nelson Chamisa’s CCC expressing their nostalgic feelings about racist Ian Smith’s time.

This is the racist who was supported by America which defied UN sanctions by buying chrome from the Rhodesian rebel.

This is the racist rebel who, like the US, was more concerned about the less than 300 000 whites but considered the over five million blacks as sub-humans who needed at least another 1 000 years before they could rule themselves.

And these pro-Smith sellouts and their party are not even ashamed to back the US by supporting the illegal sanctions hurting their own people.

It is always dangerous to consider the interests of a foreign power ahead of  those of your own people.

The tragic events in Ukraine today are a result of a politically immature Leader who wanted to please the Americans at the expense of his own people.