By Nqobile Tshili Bulawayo Bureau<\/p>\n
Zimbabweans should lobby the Catholic Church to declare Father Zimbabwe and former Vice President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo a Saint in honour of his contribution to humanity, an official has said.
\nYesterday marked 20 years since the death of Vice President Dr Nkomo.
\nThe Joshua Nkomo Legacy Restoration Trust (JNLRT), in partnership with Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), held the 20th anniversary celebration to mark his death.
\nThe commemorations kicked off with a Dr Nkomo Legacy Walk which started at Mpopoma\u2019s Mahomva Shops, passing through Iminyela to his Pelandaba suburb house where there is the Joshua Nkomo Revolutionary House, ending at White City Stadium where there was the main event.
\nThe procession included drum majorettes and traditional dance groups, among other members of the public.
\nThe commemorations were running under the theme; \u201cI am because you are,\u201d which was part of Dr Nkomo\u2019s values to promote Ubuntu.
\nAddressing delegates at the main event, acting ZTA chief executive Mrs Rita Likukuma said the country should write to Pope Francis requesting that Dr Nkomo be declared a saint.
\nShe said Tanzanians have successfully lobbied for the same honour to be bestowed on their founding President, the late Julius Nyerere, because of his compassionate nature.
\n\u201cThis compassionate nature which he had is much alike that of the late Julius Nyerere, the late Tanzanian president who the Catholic Church is progressing into declaring a saint,\u201d said Mrs Likukuma.
\n\u201cAnd for a politician that is very unusual. But he is now in that category and just reading through the compassionate nature of Father Zimbabwe, I really think that someone must send word to Pope Francis, to say in him was a man of very good value. A family man, compassionate, peace maker, a person who had a lot of love for other people and I think these values need to be communicated further.\u201d
\nMrs Likukuma said Dr Nkomo should be honoured for his belief as an embodiment of humanity, hence ZTA\u2019s partnership with the JNLRT to keep his works alive.
\nShe said ZTA and the JNLRT were promoting the Joshua Nkomo Tourism Heritage Trails as a way of documenting and providing a narrative that will enhance Zimbabwe\u2019s rich history as a nation.
\nMrs Likukuma said the heritage could be a source of some of the country\u2019s tourism income.
\n\u201cTrails have become a new phenomenon, not only in Africa, but globally,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a nation, we value our founding fathers for the role they played in liberating our great nation, hence our story as a nation can never be complete without their mention.\u201d
\nSpeaking at the same event, Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Judith Ncube said Dr Nkomo is an African revolutionary and a champion of peace whose values the public should continue aiming for.
\nShe said the public should follow in the footsteps of Father Zimbabwe and his selfless nature.
\n\u201cThe heritage trail initiative seeks to trace the footprints and to picturise the story of his life through heritage monuments for future generations to be able to trace the history of the revolutionary icon,\u201d said Minister Ncube.
\n\u201cThis effort is part of the national heritage efforts to capture, remember and celebrate the totality of the Zimbabwean history, particularly those aspects of our history that inspire, motivate and educate future generations in order for them to be armed with their history and indeed be confident to face challenges of this day and the days to come.\u201d
\nMinister Ncube took a swipe on businesses that are profiteering through unjust price hikes of basic commodities and medicines.
\nJNLRT patron and Father Zimbabwe\u2019s son Mr Sibangilizwe Nkomo lobbied that July 1 be declared a national holiday to honour Dr Nkomo and his compatriots who brought Zimbabwe\u2019s independence.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s been 10 years since we have been lobbying the Government to declare July 1 a public holiday,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cThe day should be called the Joshua Nkomo and Liberators Day. This will be in honour of those who fought the armed struggle and those who assisted them because those who were armed were assisted by non-armed people as the liberation struggle was a collective effort.
\n\u201cWe will continue to lobby for this and we invite the public to join us in this.\u201d
\nMr Nkomo said Dr Nkomo was the biblical light and salt of the nation whose contributions will never be erased.
\nSpeakers at the event praised Dr Nkomo as a founding father of Zimbabwe, with historian, war veteran and retired journalist Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu revealing that Father Zimbabwe was the first black man in the country to leave his good job to pursue nationalist politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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