JOURNEY TO CHIMOIO
3 min read
By Margaret Kamba
Scores of ZANU PF women journeyed to Chimoio ahead of the inaugural War Veterans League which kicks off today with the arrival of local delegates.
The timely journey is significant in that as the women meet the gallant heroes and heroines lying at the shrine, the living represented by a few of their chosen leadership will also be meeting to craft how the force from the past can forge a way forward.
Chimoio brings painful memories of the Chimoio attack which saw the massacre of many men and women who willingly gave their lives for Zimbabwe.
Rhodesian forces claim to have smashed two bases in Mozambique killing at least 1,200 of Zimbabwe’s sons and daughters of the soil.
The Rhodesians claimed the killings at Chimoio were safeguarding “the interests of self defense.”
Rhodesian jet warplanes roared over the town and dropped bombs on the base. The jets were followed by groups of helicopter gunships, which raked the camp with machine gun fire.
The bombing went on for two days to make sure there were no survivors.
The orientation which the comrades went through clearly defined the terms of the war. They did not hate the white man or the colour of skin. They hated the way the white man treated them. They were fighting for their rights. They were fighting for their freedom. They were fighting for their country which the white man had taken from them. What kind of a man or woman would willingly allow a snake to come and reside in his home without worrying about the safety of his family? Any man or woman in their right mind, Christian or not will definitely kill the snake even when the Bible states “do not kill.”
But what kind of cruelty is that of the white man to come into a country already with the indigenous people, force them off their land, ride on a horse for hours and when his horse is tired says, this is where my property ends? What kind of a man would show the importance of his dog and allows it to sit on the front seat beside him while a man who has features just like his except in a colour he deems cursed, sits at the back of his car being scorched by the sun and is exposed to too much wind? He quickly forgets that this same man sitting at the back of his car manicures the lawn in his yard, ensures he sits in a clean environment and does chores in his home. He forgets that this same man he thinks is dirty, is a boy is way more articulate in the things that he himself cannot do on his own.
These among other injustices are why men journeyed to Chimoio and many other camps among them Tembwe in order to fight to bring the equality we enjoy today.
It is prudent to understand that as the War Veterans League meets during their inaugural conference, it is their well deserved right to celebrate their achievements of bringing Zimbabwe for yours and mine’s benefit.
We are free today because of these men and women who did not enjoy their youthful age as they dogged bullets and escaped the dropping of bombs. We are free today because of the sacrifices these selfless men and women whom we must honour and be grateful to.
Your conference is here Comrades. Happy and fruitful deliberations.
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