Staff Reporter
President Emmerson Mnangagwa said that the Gukurahundi issue should be resolved with the same spirit of unity that was displayed by our country’s founding fathers during the signing of the 1987 Unity Accord.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa said this while addressing scores of delegates that had graced the launch of the Gukurahundi Community Outreach Programme at State House, in Bulawayo, today.
The President advised that the value of the 1987 Unity Accord could not be overemphasized, as it is the pillarstone which should be valued by all Zimbabweans.
“Behind us lies a past etched with both triumph and hardship. The echoes of the liberation struggle still evoke strong emotions and memories, a testament to the unwavering spirit that forged our nation.Yet, within that history is a chapter which cannot be ignored the Post-Independence conflict in this region.This chapter serves as stark reminder of the fragility of unity and the devastating consequences of disunity.
“We 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 to forge the 1987 UnityAccord, said President Mnangagwa.
“This Unity Accord shall remain as the foundation of our unity and the emblem of our unitary State. Today, we are building on that foundation and cementing our unity, which we commit to guard jealously as our birth right in this sacred nation,” the President said.
The President further urged the nation to nurture the obscurities of yester year, and focus on the future
I wish to urge you all not to dwell on the shadows of yesterday, but to focus on the future of our country. Let us turn our attention to a new dawn, brighter future. A future where the scars of yesterday no longer fester, but become stepping stones on the path to a stronger, more unified Zimbabwe. A nation can only be built by a unified people”, he said.
Meanwhile the Second Republic has trained around 1800 people to implement the Gukurahundi resolution process in peace against possible challenges of tribalism, hate speech and vengeance by specific groupings like Mthwankazi who were abusing social media to ferment disunity in Matabeleland.
