Story by Mhlomuli Ncube
ZANU PF Matabeleland North Province has resolved to lobby Government to declare 1 July a public holiday in honour of the late Vice President and liberation icon, Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, who passed away on that day in 1999.
The resolution was unanimously adopted during a Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting held in Lupane on Friday, where provincial leaders underscored the need to further immortalise Dr Nkomo’s legacy as “Father Zimbabwe.”
Zimbabwe has several icons who dedicated their lives to the nationhood.
Among those topping the list is Dr Nkomo, who earned the name Father Zimbabwe for leading the revolution against white minority colonial rule, culminating in the country attaining freedom in 1980.
“We want the founding father of Zimbabwe to be observed in a way where a day is set as a public holiday. This is what the people here are saying, and it is an echo from the year 2024,” the Chairperson for ZANU PF Matabeleland North Province, Cde Richard Moyo said.
“All resolutions passed here are coming from districts. No one has been manipulated or coerced to do so, and thank you for your clarity on this issue. From chairpersons at the district level, there is clarity that this is what people want,” ZANU PF Politburo member, Cde Alice Dube said.
Already, Dr Nkomo has an international airport in Bulawayo named after him and his statue erected in Zimbabwe’s second largest city and roads named after him.
Also, at the top of the ZANU PF Matabeleland North Province’s resolutions is a recommendation for President Emerson Mnangagwa to continue driving the national development agenda of the country till at least 2030.
