ZAPU leader Sibangilizwe Nkomo says ZANU PF has fallen short of fulfilling the pledge of a liberated Zimbabwe, even four decades after independence, reported NewsDay.

Nkomo, who is the son of the late former Vice President Joshua Nkomo, said ZANU PF has betrayed the nation’s gallant sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom. Said Nkomo:

Independence is painful because it has no freedom. Just a few days ago, we saw people being arrested for booing first lady Auxillia Mnangagwa.

Just basic freedom for one to laugh at a leader, you have to be arrested! I do not believe that this is what they fought for.

The nine villagers referred to by Nkomo were detained and later charged with disorderly conduct after they allegedly booed the First Lady.

Mnangagwa was addressing villagers at Watsomba Business Centre, Manicaland, donating foodstuffs and other goodies when the alleged incident occurred.

The charges against the nine women were, however, withdrawn on the instruction of the First Lady.

Nkomo also said the people who were affected by Gukurahundi would not know true independence until the matter was resolved. He said:

Our independence will not be complete unless the issue of Gukurahundi is addressed.

Gukurahundi is a painful wound in Zimbabwe. It brings bad omen and conflict among Zimbabweans. If it is not resolved the nation will not progress. It affects the whole country and not Matabeleland only.

This is because the acts of Gukurahundi are still there and continuing.

Nkomo claimed that only the ZANU PF elite is enjoying the country’s wealth while the majority wallow in abject poverty. He said:

The other sad thing is that the liberation war was waged for the majority of blacks to own land and wealth, but our wealth is being looted out of the country to foreign lands.

The gap between the rich and the poor is ever widening and this is painful. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

However, ZANU PF information director, Farai Marapira, asserted that independence was meant for all Zimbabweans. Said Marapira:

This importance reverberates and resonates across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe. The younger generation needs to be more curious about their history as the President said, a tree cannot grow branches without roots.

Independence since 1980 has always been an important occasion for the ZANU PF government. We are all independent, we achieved political independence in 1980 and are in the process of defining and attaining our total economic independence.

Zimbabwe today, 18 April, marks 44 years of independence from British colonial rule. The main celebrations will be held in Murambinda, Manicaland Province.

More: Pindula News