Harare Post Reporters
President Mnangagwa has assured the nation that the Government has put in place measures to guarantee free and fair elections this year.
Addressing thousands of people who were gathered today at Mt Darwin High School in Mt Darwin for the Independence Day celebrations, the President said that the political atmosphere in the country was conducive for credible elections.
“My Government has put measures in place to ensure free, fair and credible elections. We must all say, “No to violence”, before, during and after elections. As one people, united under one national flag, let us defend and entrench our democracy, which was brought about by the blood, sweat and tears of the vast people of Zimbabwe,” said President Mnangagwa.
The President urged the nation to jealously guard the independence and warned them to be wary of some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) who might want to sow seeds of divisions among Zimbabweans.
“As the Harmonised General Elections draw nearer, I call on the nation to remain vigilant and protect our hard-won Independence. No voices, foreign or local, inclusive of rogue NGOs, should sow seeds of division and disharmony among us,” added the President.
The President said as the nation inches towards elections, the gospel of unity and political tolerance should be preached across the country. He added that dialogue and tolerance had been the hallmark of the Second Republic.
According to the President, Zimbabwe’s democracy was not given to us on a silver platter by our former colonisers but came through a protracted liberation war. He added that political independence without economic independence was incomplete, thus empowerment programmes continue to anchor the Second Republic’s transformation agenda.
President Mnangagwa reiterated that the Independence celebrated today was sealed with blood and said that as Zimbabweans, we had an obligation to fight back neo-colonialism and those bent on setting up surrogate entities over our land.
Meanwhile, today’s Independence Day celebrations were held under the theme, ‘Nyika inotongwa nevene vayo, Ilizwe libuswa ngabanikazi balo.’ Sixty thousand people across the country attended the celebrations.
