Today Zimbabwe celebrates Heroes Day in recognition of the bravery and sacrifices of those who fought for the country’s independence.
Among them Andreas Mathibela, the leader of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, stands out as a champion of the country’s liberation struggle.
With a wealth of experience and insight, Mathibela (AM) shared his perspectives of the war, its legacy and the ongoing fight for justice and equality in Zimbabwe in an exclusive interview with our reporter Sandra Ngwaru (SN).
Below are excerpts from the interview.
SN: How do you think the current government has handled the legacy of the liberation war and the welfare of war veterans?
Very badly l must say. Liberation means political and economic freedom, which we do not have in our country.
There is no access to basic necessities, the majority of citizens are not gainfully employed, people are wallowing in poverty and sadly there is no peaceful coexistence of people of different political ideologies and tribes.
This goes against the ethos of the liberation that we fought for.
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Instead of experiencing economic freedom that translates into owning farms, mines etc as liberated blacks, we have witnessed two camps emerging, one of extremely rich blacks and the other of extremely poor blacks.
SN: How has this status quo affected the welfare of war veterans?
AM: Well, very badly. As we gear towards Heroes Day commemorations we want to remind ourselves why thousands of martyrs sacrificed their lives hoping to free Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately, their sacrifices went in vain. Look at me l am a war veteran myself, l’m a liberation war hero.
I could have a farm, but l don't have anything.
Liberation war heroes, me included and the general populace, live below the poverty datum line.
We have serious health conditions, but we have no access to basic health assistance in our country.
We also have war veterans who were injured during the war but, 44 years later they have no access to health services.
Our pensions are way below the living wage.
I'm not saying as war veterans we are special, all l’m saying is, doesn't what we sacrificed justify us getting the basics needed for survival?
SN: How do you think your experiences during the liberation war have shaped your perspectives on Zimbabwe's current political and social landscape?
AM: We went to war to end racial discrimination and inequality.
The situation forced us to take up arms, we couldn’t carry on folding our hands and hope things would eventually change, we had to engage the enemy physically.
We had so many hopes, chief being to get a chance to participate in the mainstream economy.
Unfortunately, the people we put in power are corrupt and tribalistic.
They are obsessed with amassing wealth nothing else.
We fought against tribalism and unequal distribution of resources but, it looks like nothing much was achieved.
We are no better economically post-independence.
We have no roads, no electricity, no water and the unequitable distribution of wealth is still sadly evident.
SN: What is your stance on the government's handling of opposition parties and political dissent in Zimbabwe?
AM: I believe in tolerance. People will always have divergent views and should be free to express themselves and not muzzled.
As war vets, we fought for all and sundry in our quest to liberate Zimbabweans in their entirety.
We are tired of power politics, of partisan politics. While we are busy fighting opposition, thieves are busy looting our resources.
We are creating economic stability and employment for these looters whilst we are left to suffer unemployment and land degradation.
It boils down to mismanagement of the economy by the current leadership.
SN: We have recently heard calls for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to extend his term beyond what is provided for in the constitution.
What is your take on this development as war veterans?
AM:This one has gotten us really worried.
The president openly declared that he would not continue with his term but, we hear some quarters fighting to retain him so that he goes beyond what the constitution mandates.
I don’t think people who are clamouring for him to stay are sober minded. He should retire just like how the constitution mandates him.
In politics even if you are good you retire so that someone can take over and denying other people the chance is unconstitutional.
Those cheering him to stay are serving whose interests? Who stands to benefit if he stays in power?
As war veterans we are saying no to this clamour to keep him in power, the constitution should be defended by all means necessary.
SM: What is your take on the government's efforts to address corruption and economic mismanagement?
AM: The government has dismally failed to curb corruption. It is evident in different facets of society like the judiciary, law enforcement etc.
To end corruption we need an authentic revolution so that certain people can learn a lesson.
I once thought that perhaps we can embark on a Go Fund Me campaign whereby every citizen contributes a minimum of a dollar that we give to the president so that at least he is not tempted to be corrupt.
He being the head of state and government and failing to curb corruption won't get us anywhere. We condemn tribalism and corruption at all costs.
We condemn appointments to positions based on tribal grounds and advocate for appointments based on merit.
SM: How do you think Zimbabwe can move forward from its tumultuous past and build a more inclusive political landscape?
AM: We need to find a leader who is not corrupt and who will not be corrupted by these tenderprenuers.
We need a unifier, someone who is tolerant of diverse views someone who acknowledges that opposition is not an enemy.
We need someone of integrity and lately my preference is a soldier.
SM: Do you think a soldier fielded from the same system you are condemning will give us different results?
AM: Absolutely, characters differ. We might come from the same family, but we are different.
We are influenced by different exposes and influences. There are so many capable leaders from Zanu PF, so give them a chance.
A soldier is trained militarily to behave in a certain manner. He is focused on doing things in a particular manner so he will not behave like a civilian leader.
A soldier will bring order to our country. Let others be given a chance. Let’s give the populace their power back.
(Robert) Mugabe took too long to cede power, but where is he now? Has the past not taught us good lessons?
SM: How do you think Zimbabwe can balance its relationships with Western countries given its complex history?
AM: Relations at home are the most concerning for me in comparison to relations with the West or regionally.
The international community will warm up to us when we begin to show tolerance of one another, and love one another.
Charity begins at home, they say. So let's seek to change our domestic settings before we go outside our borders.
If we create a stable political environment everything will fall into place.
I ought to also highlight that we are not darlings of the West.
The relationship should be mutual rather than conditional, but it seems our relationship with them has conditions.
In my view their definition of democracy is subjective, it is what suits them.
After the land reform programme our relationship with the West can never be the same.
They don't love us, they only see us pilferage. They are guilty of so many atrocities for instance look at how thousands are dying in Palestine.
The question is, who is supplying the weapons? So let's focus on us.
SN: What are your thoughts on the economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, and how have they affected the country?
AM: The so called targeted sanctions are not disadvantaging the targets, but ordinary citizens of Zimbabwe.
As war vets, we advocate for the immediate removal of sanctions. They imposed the sanctions thinking we were going to revolt against the government, but it has not worked and citizens clearly continue to bear the brun.t
SM: What does being a hero mean to you, and how do you think the concept of heroism can be applied to everyday life, beyond the context of war and liberation?
AM: A hero is someone who is selfless, ready to sacrifice his or her life in defense of the life of others.
A hero is someone who upholds and continuously defends the constitution, someone who fights unequal distribution of resources, nepotism and tribalism.
We do have such people within the ruling Zanu PF.
However some of them have sadly been tempted to defy the ethos of the liberation struggle.
They are now focused on self-enrichment at the expense of the masses.
SN: How do you think Heroes Day should be celebrated in Zimbabwe to truly honour the sacrifices and contributions of heroes like yourself, and what changes or improvements would you like to see in the way it is commemorated?
AM:We do not celebrate Heroes’ Day in Zimbabwe, we simply commemorate it.
There is nothing to celebrate here. The day we start to speak of celebrations is when we begin to enjoy the sacrifices made by our fallen heroes.
We are sorry to those who lost life and their loved ones for no specific benefit.
There is nothing wrong with gathering at stadiums to honour the day, but let's have government coming up with life changing positions.
Let's have them taking stock of what has happened in the past and take remedial action where needed.
We are tired of seeing soldiers marching up and down, of what benefit is that to us? We demand real change that warrants celebrations.
SN: What message would you like to convey to the current leadership and citizens of Zimbabwe regarding unity, patriotism, and national rebuilding?
AM: To the current leadership l say please open your hearts to tolerance.
We fought for freedom and we long for the day when we can start to enjoy the fruits of our labour to come.
I also speak on behalf of the citizens of Zimbabwe saying tolerance and coexistence is the epitome of a way forward.
It seems the current leadership is no longer sensitive to the plight of the ordinary citizen.
Events like Heroes Day commemorations are now merely ceremonial, they have long forgotten that people died and that the people they left behind are wallowing in poverty.
If l had the power l would put aside some funds that we would advance to each and every one of them as chema (a token given to the bereaved in acknowledgement of their loss) to say sorry for their loss, maybe they would get the closure they need.
When we compare our plight as war veterans in Zimbabwe to war veterans in other countries it is evident that we fall far and l can't find a solid reason to justify why we are treated like this by this current leadership.
SN: What are your last words to the nation as we celebrate our heroes?
AM:I would like to emphasise that our country needs healing. There is so much toxicity. People argue and fail to reach amicable conclusions in most situations.
There is now a school of thought that locates our problem as a nation in spirituality.
What l mean is that upon attaining independence we forgot to report back to ' masvikiro' (spirit mediums).
When we went to war we were consulting masvikiro but, after the war poliiticians were now focused on political gain and forgot to appease masvikiro.
So many people died, blood was spilled but, these spirits were never appeased.
As war veterans we are spearheading spiritual cleansing.
We are going back to masvikiro to seek solutions to our problems as a nation.
We are the only country that continues to change currencies and wallow in abject poverty post-independence and that warrants action.
We fought for the freedom of all and we have initiated this cleansing to live a positive legacy behind. We are not monopolising this cleansing.
Infact the government is free to join us in this endeavor of appeasing masvikiro.
