Zimpapers Logo

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa tours a photo exhibition at a book fair in the Harare Gardens yesterday. Looking on are Zanu-PF’s deputy secretary for environment and tourism Cde Auxillia Mnangagwa (back to camera), Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu (animal skin hat), Rayban Sengwayo (grey jacket) and Liaison and Psychomotor Activities Minister Josiah Hungwe (extreme right)

Felix Share and Samantha Chigogo
Leaders should support women in their efforts to steer legislation in Parliament and ensure they benefit from the ongoing indigenisation and empowerment programmes, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa said yesterday.

Speaking during an Africa Day photographic exhibition in Harare, VP Mnangagwa said youths and women are also critical in mapping the country’s success through, Zim-Asset.

The exhibition, depicting the works of Africa’s founding fathers, was organised by the Zanu-PF department of environment and tourism in conjunction with Friends of Joshua Trust to enable youths to identify with the country’s struggles and aspirations.

Running under the theme: “Detention, Betrayal and Banishment”, the exhibition was also dedicated to decorated Southern Africa liberation struggle icon Brigadier-General Hashim Mbita who died in April.

VP Mnangagwa said discrimination against women was unacceptable as they also played a critical role during the liberation struggle, some at the expense of their marriages.

“It was not the struggle for the boys alone,” he said. “It was a hard and tortuous journey in the bush with girls carrying ammunition to the front.

“They were part of the invaluable intelligence gathering network and also played a priceless role as the so-called chimbwidos who displayed undeterred stoicism like the late Cde Sally Mugabe and Mai Victoria Chitepo who endangered their own lives in the fight for the release of women from jails and restriction camps.

“They were purveyors of priceless intelligence to the comrades who in turn used it to prosecute the armed struggle.”

VP Mnangagwa urged heritage personnel to preserve historical sites as an “eloquent” testimony of the sacrifices made by the country’s liberators. Regular visits to the sites by all age groups, he said, were critical as it was a sign of appreciation to the freedom fighters.

VP Mnangagwa paid tribute to Brig-Gen Mbita of Tanzania, saying he made lasting and decisive contributions to the liberation of many southern African countries.

“He laid out crucial programmes of training for comrades during the struggle,” he said.

“He is a man we who were in the struggle respect so much because he enabled us to source equipment to fight the colonial powers in our respective countries. It was not easy for individual political organisations to access hardware for fighting the war.”

Brig-Gen Mbita served as the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) liberation committee executive secretary for two decades.

VP Mnangagwa said the ascension of President Mugabe to the AU chairmanship would showcase his leadership prowess and will unify the continent.