The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) takes this opportunity to honour the memory of all the martyrs of our liberation struggle, whose commitment, bravery and self-sacrifice won for us the independence and freedom we enjoy today. We remain forever indebted to them for their sacrifices. The independence day is coming at a time when the world is facing a public health crisis due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic that is claiming thousands of human lives globally daily. O

One of my earliest recollection of General Solomon Mujuru, the mystified hero, was when we played ‘fake’ guerrillas with my cousins around the yard in rural Zimbabwe, and blissfully singing the following: ‘Hona Mukoma Nhongo bereka sabhu tiende chauya chauya’ ‘Comrade Nhongo carry the sub-machine gun, Lets Go, whatever comes comes’ In our youthful minds growing up as ‘born frees’, after liberation, meant that we were also fed the prevailing euphoria of the victory of the libe

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry Like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore – And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over – Like a syrup sweet Maybe it just sags Like a heavy load Or does it explode? (Langston Hughes) Life is better understood by joining the dots backwards. Zimbabwe's dots in the last 40 years, with the benefit of hindsight, is littered with missed opportunities and wrong turns at critical junctures that have left t

Introduction and Background At Independence Day in 1980, the late Julius Nyerere, President of Tanzania made the famous remarks to the late founding leader of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, "you have inherited the jewel of Africa, keep it that way". This jewel of Africa included a diverse and strong economy characterised by a booming agricultural industry and a stable macroeconomic environment. However, gross inequalities existed in the ownership and distribution of social and eco

Today marks Zimbabwe’s 40th Independence anniversary from British colonial rule. For the first time since gaining independence this year’s national commemorations were set to be held in Zimbabwe's second-largest city, Bulawayo. Traditionally, the commemorations are usually hosted at the 60 000 Chinese constructed National Sports Stadium with the event mainly attracting ZANU PF supporters. By moving the event to Bulawayo, the ZANU PF government argues that the idea is in line

Image credit: AP As Zimbabwe marks 40 years of independence environmentalists and the rest of the citizens need to take stock of the strides that the country has made in taking care of the environment. Over the last decades, the country has made commendable efforts to preserve the environment for generations to come and this is a task that Zimbabwe must undertake together with the rest of the world to build a green future anchored on innovation and clean energy. It is always