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World Family of God Church apostle Andrew Wutawunashe and Minister of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees Christopher Mutsvangwa after a special Service on Africa Day Commemorations in Chitungwiza yesterday

Fidelis Munyoro Herald Reporter
African leaders have been challenged to adopt indigenisation and economic empowerment policies to enable their citizens to claim their stake in the continent and global village.

Worldwide Family of God Church Apostle Andrew Wutawunashe, yesterday said Africa Day is an occasion to thank God for giving Africans the “Passover” that enabled Africa’s founding fathers, leaders and warriors to liberate the continent from colonial rule.

Apostle Wutawunashe said his church regarded Africa Day auspiciously and as an opportunity that one of the few remaining founding fathers of Africa, President Mugabe, was the current Chairman of African Union.

“We call upon you, your Excellency comrade Chair to amplify your voice and leadership that has consistently demanded and worked for room for the African,” said Apostle Wutawunashe.

He made the remarks during Africa Day Celebrations to commemorate the formation of African Union on May 25, 1963 and Dedications Service held at Chitungwiza Aquatics complex Hall yesterday.

The service was held under the theme: “Make Room for the Africans: A call to empower Africans to develop Africa”.

Apostle Wutawunashe said the present day travails of Africans— poverty, displacements, involuntary dangerous migrations, blood conflicts among Africa’s poor— were an indication of struggle for blacks for room and opportunity in a world in which economic and other exclusion of black people had been engineered by other powerful races over the years.

This, he said, was worsened by mental damage born of oppression that had induced self-exclusion deep in psyche of the black people themselves through inferiority complex.

“We call upon the Africans both in Africa and in the global village to restore to ourselves a fresh thinking of our right to roam in Africa and in the global village,” said Apostle Wutawunashe.

“Our own inferiorities and failure to see value and add value to what is our own has badly compromised us in the competition for a place of substantive economy and dignity among the nations.”

The Apostle also urged Africans to value their rural areas and develop them instead of abandoning their God given resources to “seek at great peril short sighted economic comfort in far off lands of our former oppressors”.

As a symbol of a movement to return to add value to the African village, the church handed out fruit trees to be planted in rural areas in several countries.

Apostle Wutawunashe urged Africans in the diaspora to abandon the psyche of inferiority and servitude and network to exploit economic room by envisioning meaningful business enterprises and projects to develop Africa.

Guest speaker and Minister of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees Christopher Mutsvangwa said as people remembered Africa Day, it was important to appreciate the defence and security capability of Africa.

“Africa will no longer tolerate anybody who thinks that he can ride rough shod over them with military weapons,” he said. “We are ready as Africa. We will never again be other people’s subjects.”

Minister Mutsvangwa said Zimbabweans should be proud that the country had one of the best armies in Africa.

He added that Southern Africa was unique because there were similar armies among its States that did not take orders from European countries to assassinate their leaders through coups like what used to happen in the olden days where Africa lost some of their founding fathers who were challenging colonial rule.

“Generals were being used. In Southern Africa we have new type of army. It aspires to defend you. It listens to your political leadership. It never listens to foreigners,” he said.

Minister Mutsvangwa added: “It is inconceivable to think that General (Constantine) Chiwenga could be told from Britain that people of Zimbabwe have chosen (President) Mugabe . . . go and overthrow him. That is not the Zimbabwean way. That is not the army we built, our army listens to the people, defend political wishes of the people against the enemy. That is the heritage on Africa Day, which we must cherish.”

He said Africa was endowed with natural resources, which the continent should preserve and defend against those seeking to exploit them for nothing.

“We have this wealth, now we have the capability to defend that wealth. Now we have the political systems to actually defend all what God gave us. Where do we go from now that is the question of the time?’ Minister Mutsvangwa said the glory of Africa was back and the continent would soon join other countries on the global stage producing goods made in Africa for global markets.

“We must look to a time when a Toyota made in Africa is found in America, a Samsung phone made in Africa can be also found in India. Africans are now on the move,” he said.

“ We want to produce made in Africa goods on the global markets then we become global citizens like anybody else that is the goal which we stand for today.”

Minister Mutsvangwa said the problems which Zimbabwe had for the past 15 years, were meant to create “a relationship between what God gave us, between hands, between our brains out of that communion of what God gave you, we produce gifts of God which are material things that change the people’s lives starting with us here and spreading to other parts of the world.

“We want to be global businessmen from African on par with Japanese, Brazilian, Turkish, Indian,” he said.

“Once we get to that level all the sacrifices of the young people and leaders who fought this war, the sacrifices of the past generation would have been fulfilled.

He said Zimbabwe was on the verge of realising an economic growth which Africa had never known.