Zimbabwe recently marked the 40th anniversary of its independence from Britain, but there were no celebrations due to the ravaging pandemic. The country is among the nations on lockdown battling the spread of COVID-19.
The nation’s number one citizen, President Emmerson Mnangagwa delivered a televised address from the State House instead of the traditional way – in person in a football stadium.
Mnangagwa said “This year, we had planned to celebrate this grand occasion, in Bulawayo province”.
“However, the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic is seeing us endure a necessary lockdown in our homes. Although we are physically separated, we are united in spirit.
“The time to celebrate together shall come. … Today, our task, in relation to COVID-19, is to stay at home, keep our distance and wash our hands. We celebrate our milestone 40th independence anniversary in the context of unprecedented times, that of the threat brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Some citizens who spoke with newsmen expressed dissatisfaction over the state of things in the nation.
We gathered that a 33-year-old woman who wished to be identified only as Rutendo cited financial challenges and a lack of upward mobility for not wanting to celebrate the anniversary.
“Personally, I am not independent and I am not happy, because it has been a struggle since my adulthood until now,” she said. “We talk about financial freedom, but it is happening to a few elites. Most of us are still struggling. So, independence is just a word. If you are not connected, then you continue with the struggle. Hard work does not matter if you are not connected.”
Another citizen who also pleaded anonymity said “I am feeling independent but just stressed over the corona[virus] thing. We do know what happens after Independence [Day]. We will go back to school or lockdown extension. If there was no corona[virus] I would be happy. This corona[virus] thing is affecting my studies. If I do not go back to school this year, it means I will have a year extension. So, it will not [be] good for me.”
It would be recalled that Mnangagwa took power in November 2017, succeeding the late, long-serving leader Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa promised to address corruption, human rights abuses and economic problems that his predecessor had been accused of ignoring. Some critics say Mnangagwa has failed to deliver on his promises.
On his part, Tabani Moyo head of the Media Institute of Southern Africa in Zimbabwe, averred that the Mnangagwa government, like the previous one, has not respected press freedoms.
He said “We have gone for a good decade without alternative means of expression. Even if there was no lockdown, chances are that we were going to be mourning as we commemorate this day. Unfortunately, and sadly, there is too much level of entitlement among the generation that brought independence. That sense of entitlement erodes the cornerstones of the freedom of expression and access to information that the country yearns for.”
We recall that on April 18, 1980, Zimbabwe gained independence, a remarkable day that marked the end of British rule in Africa.
The British Union Jack was replaced by the green, yellow, red, black, white and the Zimbabwe bird symbolizing peace, agriculture, minerals, the blood shed during the two Chimurenga wars and the black majority race became the country’s flag.
At independence Tanzania’s former president Julius Nyerere told Robert Mugabe that he had inherited the “jewel of Africa” encouraging him to take care of it.
