VICE President Colonel (Retired) Kembo Mohadi has called on Zimbabweans to cherish the sacrifices made by freedom fighters during the liberation struggle by attaining economic emancipation.
The Vice President was speaking during his visit to Mkushi Girls Camp in Kabwe, Central Province of Zambia, where 11 mass graves lie.
The site was established in 1977 as a training camp for young female ZIPRA combatants.
The camp was, however, bombed by the Rhodesian forces on October 19, 1978, with about 1 000 people losing their lives.
Having lost a brother who trained and protected the young girls during the attack, it was an emotional visit for Vice President Mohadi.
Once a soldier, always a soldier, Vice President Mohadi traverses the bushes that were once a training camp, sites where the girls would stand at attention during training, the bunkers they hid in, and the trenches used to move information and people out of danger.
As he toured, he came across bullet cartridges used during the attacks still lying on the grounds of the camp.
Some bones of those killed can also be seen at Mkushi Camp, along with remnants of the kitchen they used and medical supplies of what was once a clinic.
Feeling energised, Vice President Mohadi says these remains must push Zimbabweans to fight against Bretton Woods institutions towards total economic emancipation.
“I am reliving my olden days. I feel younger and I feel like going on to fight again. This time, fighting the Brentwood institutions, that is economic independence, which those boys and girls who lie there did not have the chance to. They fought for political emancipation and we got it, that is fine, but we still have a long fight, a long howl. That’s economic freedom, economic emancipation. Sacrifice yourself, to go hungry one day or so, to make sure that Zimbabwe is economically independent. We have got everything, we have got the resources and the like, but we do not have the people that are pushing it.”
During the tour, Chief Khanyensha revealed that he has given the land that houses the camp to the Zimbabwean government for conservation efforts as well as developing the area.
“The whole area has to be fenced. Some people are born in Zimbabwe and some in Zambia. We need them to come and learn from this. We have given you this area, Naipela and I do not want any person to come and cut a tree. Not even the animals to come and pass through this area. We want the next generation to come and learn history here.”
Vice President Mohadi will also visit Mulungushi Camp and St Mary’s Cemetery in Kabwe, where 14 of the 15 Zambian police officers killed trying to save the girls at Mkushi camp were buried.
