The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
Liberation movements of Southern Africa have agreed to re-strategise and come up with fresh counter attacks on neo-colonialists whose mission is to divide and destroy Africa.
Secretary-generals of the former liberation war movements-Zanu-PF, African National Congress (South Africa), Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Tanzania), South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo) of Namibia, Frelimo of Mozambique and The People’s Movement for the Liberation (MPLA) of Angola met in Victorial Falls for a retreat that started on Wednesday and ended yesterday.
Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Cde Ignatius Chombo chaired the meeting which recommended the need for close cooperation and proactivity to fight regime change agendas. Presenting the recommendations of the meeting, Cde Chombo said Western-sponsored regime change agenda was constantly showing its ugly head in many African countries.
“The Western orchestrated regime change agenda is not sparing any one of us. Therefore, there is an urgent need to give special attention to our common challenges,” he said as he called for unity of purpose.
“For as long as we stay in unity and face our challenges as a family like we did during the struggle for our political independence, victory is certain. Never shall we allow complacency to threaten our political power.”
Cde Chombo said the meeting was meant to critically and historically analyse the common political, social, economic and security challenges faced by liberation war movements with a view to find solutions to neutralise and eliminate Western-sponsored regime change agenda in the region.
The meeting recommended that parties closely cooperate on strategic implementation of joint programmes of action designed to closely monitor and proactively intervene in situations where regime change raises its ugly head.
The movements also recommended speedy implementation of the joint Political Party School to prioritise training of party cadres in member countries. Such training, Cde Chomo said: “Will raise political, ideological and leadership competencies of members.”
Each sister party will be required at all times to promote strict adherence of party members to party constitutions, rules and regulations thereby inculcating the spirit of patriotism and discipline, added Cde Chombo.
The four-day retreat was meant to recall resolutions of a similar meeting in Maputo last year and to reiterate the need to uphold the legacy and history of the armed struggle for national liberation of the people of Southern Africa and deal with challenges that face liberation war movements.
The meeting also sought to facilitate research and recommend appropriate solutions to challenges faced by parties while emphasising the importance of consolidating historical ties of solidarity and mutual support among sister parties.
ANC secretary-general Cde Gwede Mantashe said the region was going through a revolution hence the need for unity.
“It’s important for us to assure our comrades by presenting a well-researched document at the next meeting in Angola for a review of what will come out of here. We are going through a transition from colonial apartheid to a united democratic state and as ANC we have taken this as a national democratic revolution since 1994 when we gained independence,” he said.
