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Cde Cephas Msipa

Midlands Correspondent
THE Unity Accord of 1987 has served its purpose of uniting the nation and should be applauded for that, ZANU-PF Politburo member Cde Cephas Msipa has said. In an interview yesterday, Cde Msipa said the Unity Accord between ZANU-PF and PF-ZAPU was a great marker of the unity of Zimbabweans and all people, regardless of race, creed, gender, tribe and political affiliation, must recognise it’s importance.

“ZANU and PF-Zapu realised that they had the same objective which was to dislodge the (Ian) Smith regime and to bring about majority rule. Efforts to work together were made clear when we formed the Patriotic Front which then spearheaded negotiations when we went to Geneva and Lancaster House conferences together.

“Even after the 1980 elections where ZANU won resoundingly, we formed the first Government of National Unity under the leadership of Cde Mugabe.

“The 1987 unity accord solidified and formalised that we were one. This brought our people together regardless of tribe or region of origin.
“The main aim of the Unity Accord has been achieved — that is to make the people of Zimbabwe feel that they are one regardless of any other differences that exist but we are one people.

“Unlike in other countries we found our own solutions as Zimbabweans and we managed to unite and bury our differences without necessarily bringing outsiders to bring us together. We are a very peaceful nation with peace loving people,” he said.

Cde Msipa said ZANU and PF-ZAPU buried their hatchet and managed to bring Zimbabweans together, which was clear testimony that they prioritised the country’s citizens.

The veteran politician, who was one of the brokers of the Unity Accord, also took a swipe at fly-by-night politicians who engaged in cheap politics by claiming that the 1987 agreement served no purpose. “Before the Unity Accord, the truth of the matter was that most people in the southern part of the country, particularly Matabeleland, paid allegiance to Dr Joshua Nkomo while ZANU-PF dominated in other parts of the country.

“As soon as Dr Nkomo agreed to work with President Mugabe, the people of Matabeleland and other parts of the country were brought together.

“It was in the interest of the people and not of the two political parties. People who claim that Unity Accord was between ZANU and PF-ZAPU must be mad. “Sorry to say, but whatever argument they put forward does not hold water. Whoever is claiming that there is no unity in Zimbabwe is totally misleading the people,” he said.