LAND is a fundamental component of our life.
It is our life.
It is our past and our present.
And most significantly, it is our future.
We live on the land.
We die on the land.
We attach sentimental value to it.
Land is the cause of many battles across the world.
It is also the anchor of many economic success stories across the world.
Some nations are even running out of land due to vast developments taking place.
Is it any wonder to many, especially Zimbabweans, why the land issue has been emotive since time immemorial?
Ours has been the struggle for land since that fateful September 12 1896 when whites hoisted the Union Jack in Salisbury (Harare).
It is a struggle that has been passed from generation to generation, the struggle for land.
This struggle has never been, and can never be, about Mbuya Nehanda alone.
It should never be confined to our veterans of the struggle and most importantly, it’s not the sole responsibility of politicians.
It is about us as Zimbabweans.
It has always been about the people.
And we are the people.
We are the owners of the land.
The land is us and we are the land.
There is something compelling about Zimbabwe’s land, our land.
It is beautiful and full of life, but that beauty has drawn to us so many challenges.
The enemy is ever aware of the beauty of our land, life and future.
The enemy is attracted to our land.
The vultures drool over this nation, our Zimbabwe, because beneath our land lies that which draws the enemy to war.
Previously, it was a war of guns and bombs.
Now it is a battle of the pen.
A propaganda war.
An anti-Zimbabwe war.
We have to be on high alert.
We have had this war for almost two decades now.
Yet the enemy does not, and will never, relent.
The enemy wants our land to look ugly, to look unattractive in the eye of that genuine investor.
The enemy wants that new black farmer tilling the land to give up, to leave that land and pave way for those who resent our country.
The enemy wants that man from Shamva searching for gold to leave that claim.
The enemy wants Aliko Dangote, that Nigerian billionaire, to give up on Zimbabwe.
The enemy wants those Russians mining platinum in Darwendale to pack their tools and head back to Moscow.
The enemy.
That enemy!
Forever jealous!
Forever wanting unmitigated ownership of our land.
That enemy!
We wake up every day to the beautiful sight of our land, those trees, those plants and even that rain, bringing more health and life to this land.
We wake up every day to chirping birds, singing for our Command Agriculture Programme, singing for our gold, diamonds, platinum and nickel.
Yes we have everything in Zimbabwe because our land is beautiful.
Our land is a marvel.
Our land is a gem.
This land!
The battle to defend our land, to protect it from the greedy and from the enemy is not child’s play.
This battle is about our history.
It is about our ideals, values and aspirations.
It is our ideology, our idea and our tomorrow.
We need to guard our land from the prowling enemy.
After all, it is our duty to defend this land because it is our life.