The Sunday News
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday welcomed calls for 21 February to be declared a national holiday, in recognition of the country’s youths.
Speaking during the 21st February Movement celebrations at the Great Zimbabwe monuments in Masvingo, President Mugabe acknowledged the need for a day to be set aside for the youths.
He was responding to Zanu-PF National Youth Secretary Cde Pupurai Togarepi who, while making his welcoming remarks, pitched the proposal as one of the resolutions by the party’s youths.
President Mugabe said the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs will look into ways of ensuring that the day is declared a national holiday.
“I wish to emphasise the point you emphasised that we wait for this day to become a public holiday, but that’s now a matter for first the party to accept it and then take it to Parliament so it can be called the day of the youth or youth day. We need that day when we think of our youths, start with little children as they grow, that we dedicate ourselves to helping the youth to develop, to develop in various ways, intellectually, physically and morally, and that is now a project that we must work on together, with our Ministry of Justice, I’m sure they will be planning the best way of how this day can become a public holiday for the youth.
“I say once again let’s continue to regard this day as the day of the youth and may there always be a 21st February Movement Day. May our future see this day coming year in year after, celebrating our youth as indeed of course it’s a celebration of the leader in the first place but we transfer what you might regard as the qualities of the leaders, as the qualities that should be emulated by our young people,” said President Mugabe.
President Mugabe was born on 21 February, and since 1986 the Zanu-PF Youth League, under the auspices of the 21st February Movement have honoured the day. The 21st February Movement is aimed at moulding youths and ensure that they emulate President Mugabe’s qualities.
President Mugabe said the celebrations held under the theme “Youths Celebrating an Icon Through Enhanced Productivity” dovetails with the nation’s development thrust that seeks to develop the youth which not only constitute the majority of the economically active population but also forms critical productive force in the country.
He hailed the choice of the Great Zimbabwe Monuments for the celebration saying the historically rich location is iconic for the African people as a whole.
“The Great Zimbabwe Monuments from which we derive the name of our beloved and beautiful country is rock solid as you can see and unshakeable, typifying the ideals of Pan Africanism upon which our founding fathers have inexorably anchored our shared conception of African identity and heritage.
“I’m glad to share with you that I treat this event with the seriousness it rightly deserves and as the patron of the movement, I remain highly committed to ensuring that it maintains its importance and aims and objectives for which it was founded. The movement is dedicated towards the positive development of peace loving young people in all aspects of life.
“We as adults are called upon to tutor, mould and provide guidance to our youth who are our future leaders. Once such solid foundations have been provided, we expect patriotic citizens who are prepared to work hard and sacrifice for the common good of all Zimbabweans. The foundation of a greater and brighter future is being built today,” he said.
President Mugabe said the 30th edition of the 21st February Movement was being held after the successful hosting of the Zanu-PF 50th Annual National People’s Conference in Victoria Falls last December. He said while some sections of the media had predicted the conference to be chaotic and bloody, it proceeded peacefully without a single incident of violence.
“The conference marked the victor of our youth who, being the vanguard of the revolution, proved that they’re self-sufficient, intelligent and vehemently shunned the enemies of the revolution by refusing bribes and calls to cause violence and mayhem.
“The situation in our country, socially, politically and economically has not been favourable to our youths, this is mainly due to the illegally imposed sanctions and external meddling in our affairs by the enemies of our revolution,” said President Mugabe.
This, President Mugabe said, resulted in shortage of employment, closure of companies and also lack of resources to finance youths programmes. He said the cunning British and Americans have used this opportunity to offer some party youths large sums of money to cause factionalism.
President Mugabe said the party appreciates and respects the commitment of the youth as well as their ability to organise and mobilise and even engage youths from other countries. He said the youths’ efforts were seen in the party’s landslide victory in the 2013 elections and subsequent sweeping of all seats in by-elections held last year.
President Mugabe said the Government’s first commitment was to empower the youths so that they take part in the country’s economy through giving certain percentages of economic sectors in the country including land.
He said the youth would also take part in the Government’s effort to add value to its resources as part of the Zim Asset, the Government economic blue print. President Mugabe called for the teaching of national service to the youths in addition of the party ideology that they are being taught to instil a deep sense of patriotism among them.
