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Cde Pupurai Togarepi

Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Reporter
YOUTHS have been urged to defend the country’s hard-won independence that was brought by gallant sons and daughters who fought for it in their youthful days.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Youth Affairs Cde Pupurai Togarepi said in an interview ahead of the 35th Independence anniversary on Saturday, that it was the youths’ duty to safeguard the country.

The 35th anniversary will run under the theme “Zimbabwe@35: Consolidating Unity, Peace and Economic Sovereignty”.

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“The commemorations of Independence Day is a reminder to the youths that Zimbabwe was once colonised, but the then youths led by our notable revolutionaries like President Mugabe and the late Vice President Cde Joshua Nkomo fought to give us our freedom,” he said.

“We are no longer young, but a mature democracy and a totally independent member of the international community.” Cde Togarepi said before the main celebrations, the party’s youths will visit heroes acres around the country to pay homage to freedom fighters, living and dead.

Cde Togarepi said youths will have an opportunity to visit some liberation war fighters to be imparted with oral knowledge on the liberation struggle.

“The Zanu-PF Youth League will be visiting various revolutionaries to salute them as well as for them to narrate to us their experiences in fighting for Zimbabwe’s independence,” he said. “We will also visit battle sites.”

Cde Togarepi said because of the freedom it was now the duty of every youths to respect President Mugabe by following in his footsteps in defence of the country’s hard-won independence and democracy.