Back to Index

Heroes' holiday loses its significance
Zimbabwe Liberators Platform (ZLP)
August 15, 2005

Government declared 11 and 12 August public holidays to remember the supreme sacrifices made by the fallen heroes of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle, honour them and reflect on the original aims, objectives and values of the liberation struggle with a view to remaining focused and dedicated.

What forced Zimbabweans to take up arms was to dislodge a brutal, oppressive, racist colonial regime which denied the black majority their human dignity, basic human rights and freedoms. End of the liberation war in 1980 brought independence, sovereignty, freedom, human rights, human dignity and so on.

Twenty years into independence, government embarked on a chaotic, unplanned and violent land seizures as a political gimmick after losing the Constitutional referendum in February 2000.War veterans were used to invade land.

The political and socio-economic consequences of the land invasions are far-reaching, deep-rooted and long-lasting.

Recently, government demolished people's dwellings without providing alternative accommodation as well as destroyed informal sector people's source of livelihood, all in the name of the so-called "Operation Restore Order" or "Murambatsvina". The real political motive of the operation remains a closely guarded secret. The serious consequences of the operation have gone beyond the country's borders.

Finding itself in a self-created siege, government has resorted to repression and brutality in order to remain in power. Human rights violations like detaining people without trial, assaulting citizens for no reason, destroying their dwellings and livelihoods, denying people their freedom of speech, association and assembly, seizing private property, etc have been perpetrated with impunity.

Unemployment has reached a record high of above 70 percent, inflation is running amok (over 165%) rising everyday, fuel crisis is wrecking havoc on the economy, basic commodities and foreign currency are in seriously short supply, tourism as a good source of foreign currency is virtually non-existent, agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors are in intensive care unit. The poor have become poorer and the middle class have been stripped of their status as they park their cars and use public transport due to the shortage of fuel. Millions of Zimbabweans have been forced into exile as economic and political refugees. Everybody has become a trader of imported goods (virtually nothing manufactured locally).

There is a humanitarian crisis occasioned by the critical shortage of food and accommodation as well as by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and abject poverty.

Under the circumstances, the heroes' holiday has lost its relevance and significance. Fallen heroes must be turning in their graves when the people they sacrificed to liberate have been reduced to beggers, cannot speak out against injustice, (those in the diaspora) are denied the right to vote, grapple with rampant corruption and lawlessness.
Instead of reflecting on the meaning and importance of the national holiday, Zimbabweans are worrying about where their next meal will come from. An atmosphere of desperation, despair, hopelessness and helplessness is clogging the air, while the leaders are becoming more obstinate and brutal.

In the meantime, war veterans whose image was tarnished when they seized land and intimidated people, have now been dumped after being used as cannon fodder. Their place is being taken by the youth militias.

Visit the ZLP fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP