By Desire Tshuma
HARARE — Political analyst Dr Abigale Mupambi has paid tribute to Zimbabwe’s liberation heroes and heroines and thrown her support behind Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, in an Independence Day message shared with this journalist in Harare today.
Reflecting on the commemorations underway across the country, including celebrations in Maphisa, Dr Mupambi said Zimbabweans must never forget the price paid for freedom.
“We appreciate the heroes and heroines of Zimbabwe who sacrificed their lives to bring independence,” Dr Mupambi said. “Their courage gave us a flag, a constitution, and the right to chart our own destiny.”
Dr Mupambi noted the symbolic weight of Independence Day events being held in Maphisa, Matabeleland South — the birthplace of the late Vice President and nationalist icon Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.
“The late Father Zimbabwe comes from that place where independence is being celebrated,” she said. “Maphisa is sacred ground. It reminds us that the liberation struggle was born in villages and towns like this, led by sons and daughters of the soil.”
On current constitutional developments, Dr Mupambi said Amendment Bill No. 3 reflects the will of ordinary citizens.
“Amendment Bill No. 3 is being seconded by the mass in Zimbabwe because it speaks to stability, development, and the protection of our sovereignty,” she said. “Independence means we can refine our laws to suit our national interests. When the people endorse an amendment, that is democracy in motion.”
Dr Mupambi said the 46th anniversary should push Zimbabweans beyond symbolism toward production and unity.
“Political independence gave us the vote and the land. The next phase is economic emancipation — farms that produce, schools that empower, and industries that employ our youth,” she said. “We owe it to the fallen not to waste the country they died for.”
She urged citizens to defend the gains of independence through peace, hard work, and patriotism, adding that the liberation generation’s sacrifice demands that “no one and no place be left behind.”
“Independence is not just a day in April. It is renewed daily by what we build as a nation,” Dr Mupambi said. “Let us honour our heroes by building a Zimbabwe that works for every child — from Maphisa to Nyamapanda.”
Zimbabwe attained independence on 18 April 1980. Dr Mupambi’s remarks were issued in Harare to coincide with national commemorations._