Dumisani O Nkomo: Covid 19 - A Zimbabwean Perspective of the Zimbabw...

Dumisani O Nkomo: Covid 19 - A Zimbabwean Perspective of the Zimbabw...: Zimbabwe Covid 19   - Responses and Challenges By Dumisani O   . Nkomo Since the World Health Organization declared that Covid -19 was...

Covid 19 - A Zimbabwean Perspective of the Zimbabwean Response

Zimbabwe Covid 19  - Responses and Challenges

By Dumisani O  . Nkomo

Since the World Health Organization declared that Covid -19 was a global health emergency Zimbabwe has since officially reported at least 7 cases and one fatality. The Zimbabwean government  then responded by putting in place a raft of measures to deal with the pandemic. I would like to suggest that over and beyond the Coronavirus pandemic threat ,there is need for a more comprehensive outlook to pandemics and other public health emergencies or disasters .I will attempt to first of all outline what the government and none state actors have done, then highlight critical gaps which include provision of service delivery , institutional capacity , a competent public health system , enabling laws and policies  which are critical in dealing with pandemics such as Covid -1

Although the government appeared relaxed and undecided in its initial response it eventually did eventually  respond to the Covid -19 pandemic  with a number of measures .Already in existence in terms of response to disasters is the Civil Protection Act which forms a critical component of Zimbabwe’s disaster  response mechanisms and legislative infrastructure  . In addition to this the government of Zimbabwe  through the Ministry of Health crafted the Zimbabwe  Preparedness and Response Plan which outlined how government , line ministries and key institutions would respond to the COVID 19 Pandemic . Further to this the government of Zimbabwe speedily formulated a swathe of Statutory Instruments as is the norm to respond to the increasing threat of the pandemic in the face of accusations of inaction, inertia and indecisiveness  from the public through civil society groupings and media . These public health measures in response  included the following which were cited as Covid 19 –Prevention ,Containment and Treatment Measures :

1.Staturory Instrument 77 of 2020

2.Statutory Instrument 82 of 2020

3. Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020 [ National Lockdown Order ]

Further to this the government also crafted measures for frontline workers involved in fight against COVID 19 in the form of the Personal Protective Equipment Policy  Covid 19 .

All these raft of measures are indeed applaudible and indicative of  the government’s desire to deal with the pandemic albeit belatedly 

The pandemic has however brought a number of  longstanding structural issues to the fore which erode or undermine the government’s ability , capacity and indeed the capability of the country to deal with any major pandemic or any other public health emergency or national disaster .

 Service Delivery

Service delivery is key in ensuring the prevention , management and eradication of pandemics .Zimbabwe has a debilitating incapacity to deliver services whether through central government or local authorities or indeed through statutory service providers such as the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority .

Provision of clean water is and has been a challenge in most parts of Zimbabwe manifesting itself in the current context of the Coronavirus threat  . Whilst government has been  pontificating about the imperative of washing hands with soap in order to prevent the spread of Corona virus many towns including Bulawayo and parts of Harare where experiencing serious water shortages. Places such as Maphisa  ,Matabeleland South have been experiencing water shortages for a while .The non-availability of clean water is itself a health disaster and emergency that must be attended to as a matter of the first capital magnitude .Whilst the Bulawayo City Council has said the shortage of water is due to ongoing rehabilitation of waterworks  ,the city of Bulawayo has been facing a water crisis for over 25 years with government doing little if anything to address this water crisis . Surely after 25 years an issue does not qualify to be a crisis but becomes a condition. The capital city Harare has also had its fair share of water shortages which may be attributed to poor water governance and corruption as most of the Cities supply dams are full .

The shortage of water makes the country vulnerable to various public health disasters such  as the Cholera epidemic that affected Harare and other parts of the country .Water shedding has resulted in people in high density areas having to queue for   water thus making them vulnerable to contracting coronavirus because social distancing is not adhered to in queues which are matters of survival .

Erratic electricity supply and load shedding erode the country’s capacity to cope with the Coronavirus as one of the suggested coping mechanisms has been working remotely or working from home . This is impossible in a situation where there is no electricity and no wi fi connectivity . Effective sewer reticulation and waste management are also key service delivery pillars which if unattended could lead to other public health emergencies

Social Security and Social Safety Nets

Over 80% of the populace is employed by the informal sector and up to 90 %dependant on the informal sector for goods and services . Zimbabwe also has a large population  of widows , orphans and vulnerable children  as well as retrenches and pensioners .Zimbabwe  still has very poor safety nets to protect the most vulnerable members of society . Though government has announced measures for cash transfers for the poor this is hardly enough for the poor who need a more robust social safety nets  . One can Imagine what happens to a poor family during 21 days of lockdown in terms of access to food and basic commodities.

The poor cannot afford to stock food for 21 days [ the duration of the lockdown ]and indeed the average Zimbabwean civil servant can also be classified as poor and incapable of stocking food over 21 days or surviving 21 days of lack of alternative economic activity.

In the long term the country need a strong social security system that protects pensioners , youths and children from the effects of shutdowns , lockdowns or any major pandemic or disaster .

Currently the fiscus is unable to provide the kind of support that economies such as the United States are providing not only for the poor but for distressed industries . The U.S Government recently announced a 2 trillion dollar package to fight against the coronavirus . This is equivalent to a combined total of 200 years worth of Zimbabwe national budgets .

Food

The shortage of basic commodities such as mealie meal have accentuated a.. tnd accelerated the problem of long queues which are fertile ground for the spread of the Coronavirus . Faced with the possibility of hunger Zimbabweans have been forced to join long queues in order to secure food especially mealie meal . The availability and provision of food is essential in lockdown contexts as failure to ensure availability of affordable basic commodities can militate against measures to contain the pandemic and indeed other public health emergencies  and or national disasters .

Strong Institutions

The existence of strong institutions is key in fighting and managing any national disaster or crisis such as Covid 19 .Such institutions include  government departments , security forces , local authorities , the media and non state actors . Our institutions a s a country still need a lot of capacity as even in the absence of such pandemics and emergencies most government departments operate at deficient levels .The Civil Protection  Unit is one such institution which needs to be strengthened . It cannot however be strong if the structures and departments that feed into it are inherently incapacitated .

Sound Public Health System

A sound public health system is a prerequisite to an effective response to bio medical emergencies such as Covic 19 . A sound public health system I must include well equipped public health systems , well remunerated healthcare workers and     responsive  systems .The country’s health care systems problems are well documented and are a subject of other articles  . There is an urgent need to overhaul the country’s public health system which would require sustained budgetary budget support from the fiscus as well as multi lateral institutions.

Information Dissemination Infrastructure

Although the government recently announced measures to liberalize the media by granting licences for community radio ,this has been generally too little too late . By this time the country should be having at three community radio stations in each province . Community radio is key in the fight against pandemics such as Covod 19 .The governments obsession with controlling the airwaves has cost the country in terms of responsiveness to the coronavirus as information would have speedily been disseminated to affected remote communities .

Pro Active Policy / Legal Framework

Instead of relying on the promulgation of statutory instruments there is need for beefing up of the Civil Protection Act and formulation of a new omnibus law to deal with public health emergencies and natural disasters. The country needs an aggressive enabling policy framework so that future responses build on a strong policy infrastructure and legislative superstructure

Leadership

The question of leadership an governance is key in the ability of any country to respond to disasters. This is why Winston Churchill made a great wartime leader as he was able to rally the whole nation to fight against Nazi Hittler .Decisive and effective leadership is key in the fight against this global pandemic . The world is crying for caring , servant leaders who provide vision , hope and direction in times like these . As Zimbabwe we need such leadership at national and local level because crises tend to expose leadership deficiencies and capacities

Together we can fight and win against Covid 19 .This requires leaders from different political parties , religious , civic and business leaders to lend a hand and a voice is this great battle

Mayibuye

Dumisani O Nkomo is the Chief Executive Officer of Habakkuk Trust , he is also an author , opinion leader and content producer

Dumisani O Nkomo: Bulawayo - Rethinking and Re positioning The City ...

Dumisani O Nkomo: Bulawayo - Rethinking and Re positioning The City ...: Bulawayo at 125 – Repositioning Bulawayo For the Future By Dumisani O. Nkomo This week Bulawayo will celebrate its 125 th annivesary a...

Dumisani O Nkomo: Bulawayo - Rethinking and Re positioning The City ...

Dumisani O Nkomo: Bulawayo - Rethinking and Re positioning The City ...: Bulawayo at 125 – Repositioning Bulawayo For the Future By Dumisani O. Nkomo This week Bulawayo will celebrate its 125 th annivesary a...

Bulawayo - Rethinking and Re positioning The City of Kings

Bulawayo at 125 – Repositioning Bulawayo For the Future

By Dumisani O. Nkomo

This week Bulawayo will celebrate its 125^thannivesary amidst pleas and cries for the city to be restored to its former  glory days as the industrial hub of the country in the sixties and seventies. I would like to argue as I have consistently done so, that the Bulawayo of the sixties and seventies cannot be recreated. Rather, we need to rebuild and rethink the economic and development trajectory of the City within the ambit of a twenty five year turnaround plan. The heavy industries developed in the 60”s and 70’s cannot to all intents and purposes, be revived in the manner in which they were over 40 to fifty years ago. The dictates of global competitiveness, the shrinking of traditional drivers of industrial growth and rapid technological advances require that the city repositions itself outside of and beyond the old economic foundations of the City. A 25 year plan is required to reposition the city and place it on a rapid path of growth and sustainable development. 25 years is the period within which an entire generation reaches maturity and I would like to suggest that as of 2020 Bulawayo develops a 25 year plan that will turn around the city and make it one of the most competitive cities  in sub Saharan Africa if not Africa.

Competitive Advantages

The city must leverage on its competitive advantages and not attempt to compete in areas of weakness. It must be noted that was a strength probably 25 to thirty years ago may not be a strength in 2025 or 2045. There must therefore be a heavy investment in research and scientific projection to facilitate the City’s growth trajectory based on current and potential social and economic strengths. Significantly, whilst the city was the hub of meat processing and the beef  industry thirty five  to fifty years ago, this standing has been eroded by the following:

1.The effects of drought due to climate change and the region’s poisoning in natural region four and five which has resulted in gradual, systematic decimation of the livestock population and in particular cattle .

2.Decimation of pastures and water bodies

3.Diseases

4. The effects of the government’s chaotic land reform programme which resulted in uncontrolled movement of cattle to other regions. Currently Bulawayo’s feeder provinces Matabeleland South and North have lost their competitiveness as leading ranching provinces.

5. The national herd has been reduced from around 6 million in 1996 to around 5,3 million.

All these factors therefore mean Bulawayo and its surrounding provinces of Matabeleland North and South have to reposition themselves economically. This can be through either rebuilding the cattle industry [a process which could take five to 10 years at least assuming that all required support systems, resources including capital, appropriate technology and natural conditions are in place ] or focussing on entirely new productive sectors .

Current Strengths and Comparative Advantages

1.       Bulawayo is strategically positioned in southern Africa as a gateway to South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and to a lesser extent Namibia.

2.       Bulawayo is strategically positioned as the largest city nearest to the busiest road border post in Southern Africa, Beitbridge Border Post.

3.       The city has enormous current and potential advantages in tourism with its proximity to one of the world’s wonders the majestic Victoria Falls.

4. To the south is Rhodes Matopos Game Park which has been designated as a  UNESCO world heritage site.

5. The Natural history museum is the best of its kind in southern Africa and one of the largest four such museums in Africa.

The city thus has tremendous potential in being cardinal and central to a thriving tourism industry.

6. The city’s old Victorian type buildings and wide streets which have been viewed as backward and antiquated present a huge opportunity in remodelling the city as a city of aesthetic greatness epitomized by Victorian architecture. The city cannot or may not compete with Johannesburg, Nairobi or other large cities with impressive sky scrapers but the city can distinguish itself tourism wise, artistically and culturally through these old buildings which can also be used as a springboard for building the film industry serving as allocation for local and international productions

7. The artistic and cultural heritage, reservoir of talent position Bulawayo as a creative industry hub for Zimbabwe and indeed the southern African region.

8. The old heavy industries with huge factories cannot be revived as the equipment is antiquated and competition from the east has made such a preposition almost preposterous. However these old factories can be used as storehouses, film locations, indoor fisheries etc. The city’s strategic geographical position in southern Africa make it ideal as a warehousing zone for goods which are en route to Botswana, South Africa and possibly Zambia.

9. The geographical positioning of the city is ideal in a broader regional road, rail network as well as aviation nerve centre.

10. The city may also need to explore its potential as an Information Communication and technology hub . A good friend of mine Nkosilathi Mazibisa argues that this could be a game  changer for the city in years to come .

Clearly if some if not all   these competitive advantages are  identified as the basis of a thriving local economy Bulawayo can be great again but not on the basis of nostalgic cravings for industries of the past but rather building  potential drivers of the economy in new sectors of growth and development .

Importantly the presence of the National University of Science and Technology in the city is key. The university is a key player in informing growth in new sectors in the economy based on scientific innovations and advances in technology. Techno Park [a NUST vehicle] is key in this respect. The film Industry is not a welfare sector but a potential money spinner and with the right enabling policies, deregulation, budgetary support from a devolved provincial and local government can be a major game changer. The abundant acting and production talent and potential of the city, the Victorian film locations are an appetizing prospect. Imagine the whole of railway avenue and Raylton which has become a ghost town can be a thriving film location for Victorian films. The climate, location and competitive labour costs are major incentive for the production of international films even though the country’s film infrastructure is poor. Film can be a major “export in fifteen to twenty years’ time given proper envisioning, planning, management, enabling policies and support systems such as bilateral agreements for equipment and technical support with bigger film producing countries such as South Africa .Availability of capital for film makers and incentives for international film companies to produce films in Zimbabwe are key. Bulawayo can become part of an incredible film value chain and geo virtual corridor with economic impact of gigantic proportions

Creative Industries

The  entire swathe of creative industries from dance , visual art to film have huge potential to drive growth in Bulawayo. In countries such as the United States the film industry contributes significantly to the G.D.P rating closely to other sectors such as aviation. India’s Bollywood and Nigeria’s Nollywood have taken the world by storm generating millions of dollars and employing thousands of people through downstream and upstream industries. Bulawayo is positioned to be the film capital of Zimbabwe and within 25 years a major film location for local and international film production.

Agro – Industries

If and when the Zambezi Water Project is impended it will drive major economic development in the greenbelt that lies along the t corridor of agro industrial activities which may include sugar production and other high value crops. Towns such as Lupane will grow exponentially and Bulawayo will benefit not only from the availability of water but from downstream and upstream economic activities.

Goat Production

There is huge demand for goat meat internationally especially in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Angola and Uganda. Possibly there could be a drive to ensure the arid and drought prone provinces of Matabeleland South and North refocus their attention to this increasingly growing sector. Abattoirs could be in places such as Maphisa, Plumtree, Gwanda and Inyathi whilst Bulawayo could be a processing centre and gate away for exports of goat meat and goat products. More research is needed in exploring the economic potential of this sector but definitely there is a shift to goat production and at efforts were made in the initial next five years to ensure that smallholder farmers increase the sizes of their herds from the current 15 to 20 to at least a hundred per household this could drive the industry driving it to be a major player in this rapidly growing sector.

The city of kings has the potential and capacity to be one of the fastest growing cities in sub Saharan Africa and indeed in Africa by 2045. This is five election cycles away and verily verily Zimbabwe itself will have new political leadership and a new breed of global citizen who will not be content with the pace of development and technological advancement and competitiveness of the current Bulawayo. Let us project into the future and reimagine a new Bulawayo. “Where there is no vision people perish “. The twenty-five year turn-around plan can be broken down into implementable, gradualistic five year plans and those five year plans into annual economic development plans.

Bulawayo must not allow current debilitating economic conditions and prohibitive political environment to limit our collective capacity to project and plan for future generations beyond the next election.Bulawayo can become a competitive metropolis in 25 years time with careful envisioning , planning and execution .

Dumisani O Nkomo

Nkomo is the Chief Executive Officer of Habakkuk Trust

He writes here in his personal capacity

He can be contacted on:

dumisani.nkomo@gmail.com

Whatsapp: 0779617926

or follow him on facebook: Dumisani O. Nyongolo Nkomo

or Blogspot: www. Dumidanionkomo.blogspot .com

Dumisani O Nkomo: Dabengwa An international Hero

Dumisani O Nkomo: Dabengwa An international Hero: Dabengwa Not Just A Zimbabwean Hero By Dumisani O Nkomo In the tradition of great revolutionaries such Che Guevera Dumiso Dabengwa’s h...

Dabengwa An international Hero

Dabengwa Not Just A Zimbabwean Hero

By Dumisani O Nkomo

In the tradition of great revolutionaries such Che Guevera Dumiso Dabengwa’s heroism cannot be limited to his exploits in Zimbabwe during the war of liberation. It must be placed on record that Dumiso Dabengwa not only contributed to the liberation of Zimbabwe but in an incalculable way and magnitude to the liberation of South Africa . He was trained in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1963, operated in Botswana carrying out covert missions and regularly moved across countries such as Zambia and Tanzania . Operations of the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army [ZIPRA] stretched to training and camps in Cuba. Libya , Yugoslavia , Egypt , Algeria and Angola . Dabengwa was the head of ZIPRA’s intelligence arm the National Security Organization which had networks in various countries.

Importantly Dabengwa must not be celebrated in Matabeleland alone or Zimbabwe alone because he was a key figure in the Wankie Campaign carried out jointly by ZAPU and South Africa’s Umkhonto we Sizwe . Dabengwa brushed shoulders with the likes of Joe Modise and Chris Hani of the A.N.C as ZAPU and the A.N.C executed the Battle of Wankie . Umkhonto We Sizwe and ZAPU guerrillas fought side by side as comrades and Dabengwa coordinated deployment and intelligence of both Umkhonto and Zipra guerrillas . Dabengwa the pan African hero also played a key part in the 1968 Sipholilo campaign led by Moffat Hadebe where Zapu and Umkhonto carried out joint operations.

As testimony to this one former ZIPRA guerrilla Marshall Mpofu a former Colonel in the army testified that when  he joined in the armed struggle in 1973 he together with six other ZAPU and ANC cadres were recruited by Dumiso Dabengwa in Bostwana . The link between ZAPU and Unkhonto continued beyond independence .With the active support of ZAPU and the likes of Dabengwa large quantities of weapons destined for the armed struggle in South Africa  and Umkhonto we Sizwe were kept at farms owned by ZAPU just after independence . This was verified by Dr Dabengwa in public lectures in South Africa and former N.S.O intelligence operative Jeremy Brick hill at a Lookout Masuku Memorial lecture . The weapons which Lookout Masuku and Dumiso Dabengwa were arrested for were actually Umkhonto weSizwe weapons . For this Dabengwa and Masuku were charged with treason for attempting to subvert and overthrow the Zimbabwean government [ does this not sound familiar ]. After being acquitted by the courts Dabengwa was continuously jailed for over six more years unconstitutionally and illegally by the ZANU P.F government.  For this it must be clear to all and sundry that Dabengwa was a hero not just for Zimbabwe but also for South Africa. Not only did he fight side by side with M.K guerrillas, but he helped to deploy, provide intelligence and later on provided a conduit for Umkhonto we Sizwe guerrillas in South Africa .

This history has been supressed by ZANUcentriic historians and academics. It must be remembered that at the time ZANU ‘s ally was the Robert Sobukwe founded Pan Africanist Congress and not the A.N.C .This is why Dabengwa was widely respected by former M.K guerrillas at a very level .Sadly the average South African and indeed Zimbabwean does not know that Zimbabwean blood was spilt for South Africa and South African blood for Zimbabwe . It is largely unknown that Dabengwa lost many years of freedom after independence at the hands of a black government because he and ZAPU had dared to help liberate South Africa by ensuring that Umkhonto we Sizwe continuously had supplies of weapons .

Dr Dumiso Dabengwa who died today aged [79] was indeed a great and illustrious son of the soil. His involvement with the struggle for independence dates back to the days when he was part of the youth wing of the National Democratic Party which was headed by Joshua Nkomo in the late fifties. He continued being an active youth after N.D.P was formed and the Zimbabwe African People’s Union was formed. As part of the youth wing he was part of militant youths who engaged in many protests and demonstrations against white minority rule.

He was one of the first cadres of ZAPU to be sent for military training in the Soviet Union. The presence of leading A.N.C cadres at the Launch of the Dumiso Dabengwa Foundation in 2018 is testimony of the impact that Dumiso Dabengwa had not only had impact on the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe but also the liberation of South Africa.

Dabengwa had risen through the ranks to become a key cog in the intelligence unit of ZAPU.  He became the secretary of ZAPU‘s War Council headed by Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo which was responsible for prosecuting the armed struggle. He was also the secretary of the War Council which was headed by party president Joshua Nkomo and included Nikita Mangena, Samuel Munodawafa (the party chairman) amongst others.

Importantly Dabengwa was part of the Patriotic Front delegation to the Geneva talks in 1976 and the Lancaster House talks in 1979. He thus had an illustrious history not only as a soldier and intelligence supremo but also a political stalwart with diplomatic acumen and shrewd strategic planning. This is the reason why Nkomo and the ZAPU leadership included him in key talks which involved liberation movements, the Rhodesian governments and foreign governments.

It is believed he had a strong rapport with ZANLA supremo Josiah Tongogara at this time. Tongogara was killed tragically in mysterious circumstances in the build up to the independence.

In 1980, Dabengwa played a key part in ensuring guerrillas returned to assembly points and subsequently in the integration of ZIPRA and ZANLA forces into the Zimbabwe National Army together with former Rhodesian forces. The team that led the integration included General Peter Walls former commander of Rhodesian army, Lookout Masuku and Rex Nhongo (Solomon Mujuru). This was Dabengwa the soldier and statesman at work now using years of training in the Soviet Union, military experience and intelligence acumen as head of the National Security organization which was he wartime ZAPU intelligence wing.

He displayed these attributes again when fighting broke out between ZIPRA and ZANLA guerrillas domiciled in Entumbane and parts of Harare. He and Masuku in the company of Nkomo appealed to ZIPRA forces to put down their arms and cease fighting. This was in realization that there would be far more civilian casualties than military casualties as the fighting was taking place in the townships. This was once again vintage Dabengwa as a statesman, peacemaker and politician par excellence. Were it not for these actions possibly millions of civilians would have been killed in the fighting which was focussed on Bulawayo and other areas.

It is said that Dabengwa had been offered the post of Major General but he was reluctant to take this up and left his uniform in a huff as he was the most senior soldier at independence having led the likes of Rex Nhongo and others who were now touted as his superiors. He then retired from active service after stopping two armed conflicts and united two warring armies.

charged with treason but subsequently the courts acquitted them. The government of Prime Minister Robert Mugabe continued to detain them and the two remained in jail with Masuku being released in 1986 only to die shortly afterwards. The government of Robert Mugabe refused to allow Dumiso Dabengwa to attend the funeral of his comrade and colleague.

During this time the ZANU government brutally butchered over 25 000 people, tortured and beat thousands more and displaced hundreds of thousands of people during the Gukurahundi Genocide. ZAPU and Nkomo were keen to stop the killing and acceded to talks with ZANU. Dumiso Dabengwa together with Sydney Malunga and Nkomo’s young brother Steven were vehemently opposed to the talks. Nkomo appealed to Dabengwa saying “what do you want us to do about the thousands of people that are being butchered by ZANU, do you have an alternative…, go and think about it”

A day afterwards Dabengwa returned to Nkomo and gave the nod for the negotiations to be concluded in order to stop the butchering of civilians.

Dabengwa after initially rejected repeated offers first served as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and then Minister of Home Affairs. He then quit ZANU P.F to revive ZAPU.

In his last years Dabengwa was keen for the Zambezi Water Project to be included in order for hundreds of thousands of people in Matabeleland to benefit from downstream and upstream economic activities. During the tenure of the Unity government Dabengwa summoned this writer to his offices at the Zambezi Water Project Trust and Said “Dumisani “my dream is about to come true. Minister Siphepha tells me they have secured funding for the project. For me, it is not important what it is called or who gets the glory as long as our people benefit. Sadly, the project is still at its infancy since government reneged on its promises and diverted funds to other projects and the so called deal with the Chinese amounted to nothing. Dabengwa had set up the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Trustto spearhead the project. He had developed a model for the project to be funded through a joint venture initiative. He proposed that the government give the trust concessions to mine methane gas in Lupane. The government flatly refused. It was Dabengwa’s wish to see the project through. He also desired to see the country’s history to be re written in order to reflect the contributions of ZIPRA and ZAPU. In order to perpetuate his legacy, he pro-actively set up the Dumiso Dabengwa Foundation.

His contributions to the people of Zimbabwe were indeed immense but it would be a travesty of justice for him to be remembered as a Zimbabwean hero only  because he was more than that . He fought alongside comrades from South Africa’s Umkhonto weSizwe and contributed to the independence of South Africa . Today millions of Dabengwas countrymen are treated like scavengers in countries were Dabengwa played a key role in the liberation of those countries He must be honoured not just in Zimbabwe but also in South Africa as well . Many who enjoy independence in both countries owe it to the likes of Dumiso Dabengwa together with John Dube the commander of the Wankie Campaign , Joe Modise and Chris Hani .

Amandla !

Dumisani Nkomo is the CEO of Habakkuk Trust