The ManicaPost
ON Wednesday, December 22, Zimbabweans from across the world will be marking a great milestone in the history of this beautiful nation — the National Unity Day.
Penned on December 22, 1987 by the nation’s founding fathers — the late Father Zimbabwe, Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and late former President, Robert Mugabe — the Unity Accord has seen peace and tranquillity prevailing in the country.
As we celebrate this year’s Unity Day, all Zimbabweans regardless of race, colour or tribe should seriously ponder on former United Kingdom Prime Minister, Mr Winston Churchill’s words.
“If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another,” he said.
It is no doubt that for every nation to develop it requires peace and unity.
The coming of the Second Republic has seen President Mnangagwa leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that every Zimbabwean comes abroad the economic development train.
The juggernaut is now on a roll and some of the outstanding issues like the civil disturbances that happened in Matabeleland during the early 1980s, commonly referred to as Gukurahundi, are being tackled and a closure to the issue is now imminent.
Although Zimbabwe is ranked amongst the best in the world in terms of resources per capita, without national cohesion, peace and unity,the country’s progress in attaining an upper middle class economy by 2030 will be slowed down.
All Zimbabweans have a role to play in ensuring that national development quickly and smoothly takes place for the common good.
Socio-economic development will not be handed over to us on a silver platter if Zimbabweans do not make serious efforts to achieve what is good for the entire country.
But this year’s Unity Day commemorations come at a time when anxiety has gripped the SADC region in light of the sad and disturbing events unfolding in Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique.
Insurgencies have killed and maimed thousands of people there.
Many more have been displaced from their native lands.
In fact, the insurgencies are not only threatening peace in Mozambique, but the whole region, and this saw SADC’s Organ on Politics, Defence and Security calling for a summit in Maputo, Mozambique early this week.
Regional unity is vital to keep the insurgencies at bay as it is near impossible, if not impossible, for a nation to develop when its citizenry is being butchered by bandits.
All this goes to point out that we need to come together in peace — whether as political players, economic, social actors or religious people.
We need to strive for peace, national cohesion and unity of purpose so that the development we seek can be attained smoothly.
It is also necessary for all sections of society to be accommodative of each other and become committed towards the attainment of this rich nation’s greatness.
The spirit of patriotism — irrespective of tribe, political affiliation or religion — will see Zimbabwe developing in line with Vision 2030. Fly-by-night political parties may try to whip up tribal politics and attract a few adherents, but when all is said and done, Zimbabweans will always cherish unity more than anything else.
In light of the current efforts being made by the Second Republic to ensure smooth, uninterrupted and steady progress towards economic development, the time to come together for national cohesion, peace and unity is now. Let us work together as one people to achieve our national goal.
December 22 is the perfect day to show the world that Zimbabwe is one and no amount of persuasion from any quarter will divide Zimbabweans.
