President Emmerson Mnangagwa has cautioned against the persistent meddling of former colonial powers, who seek to destabilize Zimbabwe as they did during post-independence conflicts. Zimbabwean history records that all internal divisions amongst our people have been instigated by our erstwhile colonizers turned neo-imperialists in various guises through generations.
On Sunday, 15 July 2024, ex-Rhodie Colyn Serfontein posted a video on social media inciting hatred among the Shona and Ndebele-speaking people. He incited the Zulu people of South Africa against the Shona-speaking people living in that country, sparking concerns of ethnic tensions and violence. During the First and Second Chimurenga, Zimbabweans rose in unity against the colonial oppressors despite concerted and sophisticated efforts by the invaders to sow tribal divisions. It was our combined effort as freedom-seeking Zimbabweans that enabled us to vanquish the oppressors and emerge victorious as a unified force in 1980.
The same forces have not abandoned their ultimate goal of thwarting the realization of our determination to remain united Zimbabweans. It first started with the 1980s disturbances, a direct product of the West’s divide-and-rule strategy. The Post-Independence conflict, Gukurahundi, should serve as a stark reminder to all peace-loving Zimbabweans of the fragility of unity and the devastating consequences of disunity. As a peace-loving nation, Zimbabweans owe a debt of eternal gratitude to our nation’s founding fathers, the late President Robert Gabriel Mugabe and the late Father Zimbabwe Cde. Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, for defying seemingly insurmountable obstacles and forging the Unity Accord of 1987.
This Unity Accord shall remain the foundation of the nation’s unity and the emblem of its unitary state status. Today, we are building on that foundation and cementing our unity, which we commit to guard jealously as our birthright in this sacred nation. The unity that binds Zimbabweans must stand as an immovable barrier to prevent the neo-imperialists from achieving their historic goal of subjugation, including in the economic sphere. The interference by the nation’s detractors manifests itself in different ways: manifesting as political parties with a regional agenda that seeks to divide our people and to question the unitary nature of our State; manifesting as voluntary organizations ostensibly concerned with the people’s plight, yet they exaggerate and magnify regional grievances while belittling our efforts at reconciliation and unity at the behest of their founders; and present in all forms of media, including social media, propagating statements of hatred, difference, and vengeance against specific groupings of our nation.
In light of the above, President Mnangagwa has made a clarion call to all Zimbabweans, imploring them not to dwell on the shadows of yesterday but to focus on the future of our country. A future where the “scars of yesterday no longer fester but become stepping stones on the path to a stronger, more unified Zimbabwe.” President Mnangagwa has emphasized the need for national unity and vigilance in the face of foreign interference, which has historically undermined the country’s sovereignty.
