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Runesu Gwidi Masvingo Correspondent

Traditional leaders are the custodians of culture and national ethos and values and they must jealously guard against cultural imperialism which has the potential to fuel morale decadence in the country.

This was said by Zimbabwe Defence Forces’ Head of Peacekeeping Missions, Major-General Kasirai Tazira during the eighth commemoration of Traditional Leadership Day held at 4 Brigade in Masvingo on Friday.

He said traditional leaders had the duty to protect the country against invasion by cultures from Western nations.

He said it was worrisome that some Zimbabwean youths had adopted foreign ideologies at the expense of their original culture of unity, teamwork, dignity and respect for chiefs and the elderly.

“The culture of staging street protests, burning tyres on highways, throwing stones and destroying infrastructure does not belong to Zimbabwe. It is an influence by foreign forces and hence our nation is fast being dominated by Western cultures.

“Our sons and daughters need guidance from traditional leaders. They are the future of our country but their continuous borrowing of foreign cultures is detrimental,” he said.

Maj-Gen Tazira said the Western nations were making false claims that they imposed economic sanctions on Zimbabwe to punish the country for violating human rights.

“Economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe are not as result of its alleged human rights abuses. They imposed sanctions on us because we reclaimed our soil through the land reform programme,” he said.

“At first they were complaining about the late Robert Mugabe’s Government on abuse of human rights. But then, they perpetuated with sanctions even if Cde Mugabe had lost power. Therefore, the issue of human rights violation remains a smokescreen. They are just concerned that we reclaimed our land. Period!”

Maj-Gen Tazira said by intensifying sanctions on Zimbabwe, the Western nations were trying to force the people to vote the opposition during elections.

He said chiefs and other traditional leaders had the role to educate their subjects to guard against domination of pervasive Western imperialist cultures into the country.

The event was also attended by the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Cde Ezra Chadzamira; the Provincial Development Coodinator, Mr Fungai Mbetsa; the chairperson of the Provincial Chiefs Council, Chief Chitanga (Mr Felani Chauke); traditional leaders and other senior Government officials.