VP Chiwenga urges nation to embrace Dr Nkomo’s legacy Cde Chiwenga

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
VICE President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said Zimbabweans should embrace the late Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo’s legacy of peace, love, unity and tolerance if the country is to develop.

Dr Chiwenga made the remarks after touring the Joshua Nkomo Museum in Matsheumhlope suburb in Bulawayo yesterday morning.

The Vice President, who was the guest of honour at the Joshua Nkomo Legacy Foundation launch at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre on Thursday evening, said Government was committed to restoring the late VP’s legacy.

“We have never stopped thinking on how to play a part to honour our great leader Dr Nkomo. Therefore, we set out a path to participate and contribute to his Legacy Restoration Programme. As you may know, I delivered the Joshua Nkomo lecture at the University of Zimbabwe in June this year. There is still a vast untold story of Father Zimbabwe,” said VP Dr Chiwenga.

“As the leadership, we have cautioned that peace will not come until together as a people we recognise fully and acknowledge the role played by Father Zimbabwe and other heroes and heroines in liberating and developing this country.”

He described the late Father Zimbabwe as larger than life national hero and international icon who was a liberator and peace maker.

VP Dr Chiwenga said the country’s citizens should shun all forms of discrimination as Dr Nkomo did.

“Throughout his life he committed himself to building a society that promotes all our cultures and in their diversity and he knew no tribe, race nor creed but the children of the soil, abantwana benhlabathi, vana vevhu. Hence the need to continuously cultivate those key values of peace, unity, love and tolerance as we build our country going forward,” VP Dr Chiwenga.

He said the late nationalist still impacts on the lives of the people of Zimbabwe 19 years after his death.

The VP said the new Joshua Nkomo Legacy Foundation should also transforms lives of ordinary Zimbabweans.

“Even in death, Dr Nkomo continues to have an enormous impact on the lives of many. The Joshua Nkomo Legacy Foundation should make a visible impact in the lives of our people,” the VP said.

“Let us continue learning from Dr Nkomo and cement peace, unity, love and tolerance, which he said were the founding principles of our nation. On behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe and my own behalf we say to uBaba weSizwe, Father of the Nation, the Restoration of your Legacy earnestly begins under the Second Republic.”

He said restoration legacy programmes will be conducted annually through the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and his family through the Joshua Nkomo Legacy Foundation.

“We are committed to facilitating the growth of these celebrations and we would like to see a bigger historic site, perhaps ‘The Joshua Nkomo Square’ to inspire the youth of our country,” Dr Chiwenga said.

He said Government has taken over the rehabilitation of the Joshua Nkomo Museums in Matsheumhlope and Pelandaba suburbs while revisiting some of the projects that were left by Father Zimbabwe. — @nqotshili

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