The Sunday News
Vincent Gono, Features Editor
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has redefined the country’s Independence Day celebrations that will be held in Bulawayo as a day that is not only commemorative of the historical past but as a day that should set the stage for the country’s leadership to concentrate its focus on specific and peculiar needs of each region when it hosts the national event and set the pace for development in line with the devolution agenda.
In an article published in this issue, the President said the decentralisation of the Independence Day celebrations was going to be a permanent feature going forward, adding that no place or city should monopolise the national commemorations.
He said the movement of the celebrations from the capital to Bulawayo was not supposed to be read simply as a change of geography, but as a loud statement of inclusivity and collective ownership of the day.
“For the first time in the history of our 42 years of Independence, we mark this sacred day away from Harare, our capital city. The commemorative festivities will be held in Bulawayo, our second largest capital. This is much more than a mere change of venue and geography. It is a profound statement on collective ownership of the day. We all share it as Zimbabweans, regardless of village, town, city, district or province. Indeed, that day unites us all as one people, whatever our colour, creed, tribe, sub-culture, language, age or gender. For that reason, no one place or city monopolises its commemoration,” said President Mnangagwa in his weekly article carried in full in this paper.
He said from this year going into the future, all regions will take turns to host this very important day so that the whole nation identifies with it in equal measure.
“Again, this is more than a mere hosting responsibility; it is an opportunity for the national leadership to concentrate its focus on specific and peculiar needs of each region when it hosts this national event. In future, the host region must arrange for a week-long conference preceding the anniversary, and during which the focus will be on it exclusively. This neatly dovetails with our broader, constitutionally mandated policy of devolution by which powers of, and decisions on, governance and development cascades down to regions,” he said.
The President said while it is good that the concept of devolution has brought with it the development of growth points that will burgeon into towns and cities, it was critical to ensure that the transformation to urbanity is underpinned and driven by gainful economic activity as opposed to concentrated human settlement.
“Zimbabwe must avoid DIY or Do-It-Yourself towns and cities which mushroom chaotically, driven and shaped by unemployed, informal settlers living on margins of a few manufacturing hubs. Such unplanned settlements eat into our agricultural land, and thus create insupportable population settlements,” said President Mnangagwa.
He urged Ministers of State for Devolution and Provincial Affairs to look at this matter very closely, before it gets out of hand.
