By Evans Dakwa, News Editor
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has rallied the young generation of today to tap and draw inspiration from the deeds of the country’s Heroes and drive the current developmental stage of the nation.
The President was speaking as he led mourners in the burying of the late national hero cde William Jaison Chirinda whose Chimurenga name was Cde Chezhira Chakaipa.
“Today we honour a national hero, “Cde Chezhira” who chose to take up the fight for independence even against what seemed to be a superior enemy. In this development stage of our country, we need more young boys and girls, men and women, who have the same tenacity to push the national vision forward. May the interment of one of the pioneering veterans of the struggle, inspire and help to birth heroes of the next generation. Be it in science, education, the economy, social services, health, engineering, infrastructure or sports, arts and culture; wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you can impact the prosperity of our country,” said the President as he addressed mourners at the National Heroes Acre and the nation at large.
He urged Zimbabweans to exude national pride in every facets they found themselves operation in and block the negative noise coming from the country’s detractors.
“We must never despise who we are as a people, or look down on ourselves, or conform to the negative narratives about us being peddled by detractors. We, Zimbabweans are a proud, resilient, courageous, humble, and hardworking people; a united, peace-loving and harmonious country. No amount of lies and falsehood will never erase this,” he said.
The President chronicled the history of the late illustrious son of the soil.
The late National Hero, Cde Jaison William Chirinda was born on 1 September 1942 in Gora, Madziva area in Mashonaland Central Province. He did his primary education at Madziva Gora Primary School and later proceeded to Zambia where he enrolled for secondary education at Chifubu Secondary School in Ndola.
Conscious of how blacks were being brutalized, dispossessed of their land and impoverished by the racist white settler colonial regime, Cde Chirinda joined the Liberation Struggle in 1965. He was moved to Tanzania for military training at the Three Leaves Brigade.
On completion of initial military training, he was sent to China for further training. When the late National Hero, Cde Chirinda returned from the People’s Republic of China, he was assigned, together with other cadres, to undertake critical missions which marked key milestones in the initial offensive military operations against the Rhodesian Forces. In the famous Battle of Sinoia, our National Hero, led one of the groups that included our late ZANLA Commander, General Josiah Magama Tongogara, whilst the second one was led by Cde Chatambudza whose members became the legendary “Chinhoyi Seven” heroes after they perished in the encounter with enemy forces.