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Lovemore Kadzura Rusape Correspondent
MAKONI District Heroes’ Day commemorations were held at the district shrine in Rusape yesterday.

The event drew people from all walks of life, who included security forces, public servants, war veterans, relatives of those interred at the shrine, business people and people from across the political divide.

The district administrator for Makoni, Mr Roland Madondo, read the President’s speech, after which he led the procession to lay wreaths on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, situated at the front entrance of the shrine.

Joining Mr Madondo in laying wreaths were 32 Infantry Battalion Commander Colonel Anderson Chibvongodze, Officer Commanding ZRP Rusape district Chief Superintendent Garikayi Gwangwawa, Mr Simba Muzariri of the President’s Office, Senator Shadreck Chipanga and representatives of war veterans, among other dignitaries.

People who spoke to The Herald said Heroes’ Day is celebrated every year to remind Zimbabweans of the sacrifices of the gallant sons and daughters of the soil who fought for independence and democracy.

Several interviewees acknowledged that the loss of human lives in the years of the liberation struggle was enormous and as the present generation of survivors, they had a moral duty to commemorate the ones who perished on the battlefields.

Families of the departed heroes and heroines interred at the shrine also laid wreaths on the graves.

Several took the opportunity to tour the shrine that was once an execution centre for the brutal white settler regime.

A cross section of the people who attended the commemorations said they fully respected and honoured the contribution of both departed and living heroes, who sacrificed their lives fighting for the country’s independence.

They described the fallen heroes as a rare breed, saying all Zimbabweans should forever be indebted to them.

The attendance, however, was low compared to other years.

The organisers encountered transport challenges in ferrying people to the venue such that some people who had assembled at Vengere Stadium eventually grew impatient of the transport glitches and returned to their homes.