Tanaka Mrewa
A WAR veteran has said issues of tribalism are dividing the country and hindering economic development.
In an interview with CITE, Tiisang Nare, a female war veteran from Bulawayo condemned the lack of unity between various tribes in Zimbabwe.
“We had Joshua Nkomo as our leader during the liberation struggle. He reiterated that everyone was equal. These squabbles that are existing now are only fueling economic destruction. Both tribes should find common ground to distribute resources equally amongst themselves without one side being sidelined.”
“Let’s all take each other as we are. Let us put peace and unity ahead of everything else. Let us prioritise economic development, industry revival and job creation. Most of our children have migrated in search for greener pastures, if we revive our economy they will all come back.”
She expressed disdain over the mindset of looking down upon women especially in the political arena.
“It is so disheartening that women are generally looked down upon in most spheres of life. All these debates that were going on during the pre-election period about women’s capability to hold influential positions in politics were uncalled for. Women defied these odds during the liberation war where they held the same duties as men. Some were even menś instructors during that time.”
“What is more shocking is that at times women drag each other down. They perpetuate their own manipulation. You find that some women prefer to be led by men, sidelining fellow women. They fail to support each other when certain opportunities arise,” she said.
Nare encouraged Zimbabweans to desist from violence and focus on economic development.
“The violence that erupted in Harare was so disturbing. The gun was put into good use during the liberation struggle when we were fighting to get our country back, not what we saw recently. That is misuse of the gun. The military needs to understand that the gun is not something that can just be used on people as it results in loss of life. Firing at harmless unarmed people was too harsh. Zimbabwe needs to focus more on economic development than to focus on political squabbles. Our country deserves better.”
