The heroes of our time: a Heroes Day message.

Our constant exposure to ZANU PF propaganda has made us to believe that a hero is a person who is dead and is buried at the National Heroes Acre. We have never heard them conferring such a treasured title to anyone alive. They all become heroes when they die. What is the point of waiting for death before we can appreciate the works of our people? I am going to break tradition or propaganda and appreciate the works of some of the people I believe are heroes of our time.

Strive Masiyiwa; we all know him as the rich owner of Econet but it is not the money that makes him a hero. It is the struggle that he endured for us to have free airwaves. I cannot imagine how Zimbabwe could have turned if ZANU PF had continued to have monopoly over the Telecommunications industry. Indeed he fought his own war to set up his own business but in that war he managed to unshackle some of the chains that Zimbabwe was bound with. We are aware of the Supreme Court challenge that he made against the Post and Telecommunications Act which at that time gave monopoly to PTC. The argument was that this act violated Section 20 of the Constitution which stated “Every Zimbabwean has a right to receive and impart information without hindrance.” He pioneered the struggle for Freedom of Expression in an unprecedented manner. He helped to unmask Mugabe at a time when most people were busy worshiping him. Today we build our struggle on his humble contributions full of the wisdom that no matter how small our contribution is, we are adding a vital brick to the House of Zimbabwe. For this he is a hero.

Margaret Dongo. In 1995 she broke ranks with ZANU PF and decided to stand independently for the Harare South after the politburo refused her application to run again on a ZANU PF ticket. They favored Vivian Mwashita who was viewed more as Mugabe’s blue-eyed girl. Margaret lost to Mwashita but she took the matter to the courts where it was realized that about 41% of the people on the voters’ role were inaccurate. The election was annulled and she won the resultant rerun. She is one of the very first women in our society who have openly disagreed and challenged Mugabe. She is one of the first people who opened our eyes to the electoral fraud that ZANU PF has come to be synonymous with. She is a hero of our time.

Morgan Tsvangirai. There is no man in Zimbabwe today who can claim that he has sacrificed more than this man for the country. He lost a wife, he lost his freedom and on a number of occasions came close to losing his life. From as far back as 1989 he has been in the struggle for the total emancipation of the people of Zimbabwe. It is always easy to criticize those seated on higher ground but when all is said and done his contribution to the well-being of our political fibre is unparalleled. He is a living hero.

Arthur Mutambara. More often than not people tend to forget the good that people have done as they wallow in the inertia of the status quo. This man is the pioneer of the post independence struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe. His exploits inspired many of us into activism. He still continues to inspire many more people even now as Deputy Prime Minister. He is a hero.

Geoff Nyarota. This man gets onto this list because of his exploits in 1988 when he, together with Davison Maruziva unearthed what was by then the biggest corruption scandal involving high-ranking government ministers. Zimbabwe was still basking in the euphoria of independence when people like Enos Nkala and Maurice Nyagumbo were busy embezzling public funds. Given the barbaric history of ZANU PF when dealing with people perceived to be enemies, it had to take men of courage to carry out such a risky investigative journalism.

Nkululeko Sibanda, Tinashe Chimedza, McDonald Lewanika. These make it to this list as representative of the generation of student leaders who graced our land in the early years of this decade. These people took the struggle for academic freedom to levels that had never been reached in Zimbabwe. They openly challenged the ZANU PF hegemony and constantly organized Zimbabweans to rebel against the despotic rule in Zimbabwe. We should appreciate that the system had by then metamorphosed into a ruthless creature that did not hesitate to kill and to have people who are willing to organize the nation against such powers is just a privilege. The Final Push remains the biggest confrontation between Mugabe and the people. Students led this event. They are heroes of our time.

We have many more people who have selflessly served the people of Zimbabwe but are living somewhere in this world probably oblivious of the difference that they have made in our lives. So, the onus is on us to proclaim the value that these people have added to our lives so that even when they continue they know that the world notices!