The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has used this year’s National Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day commemorations to call for better living standards, decent wages and a fairer distribution of the country’s natural resources.
In a statement issued on Monday, ZCTU Secretary General Tirivanhu Marimo said the national commemorations should also prompt Zimbabweans to reflect on whether independence had delivered meaningful economic benefits to ordinary citizens.
“What has independence delivered to the ordinary Zimbabwean worker, the liberation war veteran, the pensioner and the millions of citizens living in poverty?” ZCTU asked.
The labour federation said many people who contributed to the liberation struggle continued to face poverty, poor access to healthcare, inadequate housing and limited social protection more than four decades after independence.
“The liberation struggle was not fought merely to change the identity of those exercising political power. It was fought to create a society in which political freedom, economic justice, equality, human dignity and control over national resources would become the inheritance of every Zimbabwean,” the organisation said.
Mineral wealth
ZCTU said Zimbabwe has vast mineral resources, including gold, platinum, lithium, diamonds, chrome, coal and nickel, but argued that ordinary citizens were not benefiting enough from the country’s natural wealth.
“The issue is therefore not whether Zimbabwe possesses sufficient resources. The fundamental question is who benefits from those resources,” ZCTU said.
The union called for greater transparency in the mining sector, stronger accountability, effective taxation of mineral revenues and increased local processing of minerals.
“The extraction of minerals cannot become a mechanism for transferring national wealth from the many to the few,” it said.
ZCTU also called for mineral revenues to be channelled towards healthcare, education, housing, infrastructure, social protection and community development.
“Zimbabwe cannot continue to export its wealth while importing poverty,” the union said.
Veterans and pensioners
The labour body also urged authorities to improve the welfare of liberation war veterans and pensioners, saying they deserved decent healthcare, housing and social security.
“A society that celebrates its heroes once a year but allows them to live in poverty for the remaining 364 days has failed to honour their sacrifice in any meaningful sense,” ZCTU said.
It further maintained that veterans’ organisations should represent all liberation war veterans regardless of their political affiliations.
“Veterans fought for Zimbabwe, not for one political party,” the union said.
Defence Forces and workers’ rights
On the Defence Forces, ZCTU said the military should remain professional, constitutional and non-partisan.
“The Defence Forces must defend the State and its Constitution, not particular office-holders or political interests. Their loyalty must ultimately be to Zimbabwe and its constitutional order,” it said.
The union also urged authorities to respect citizens’ constitutional rights, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and protest.
“Citizens exercising constitutionally protected rights, including freedom of expression, assembly and peaceful protest, must never be treated as enemies of the State,” ZCTU said.
ZCTU further called for respect for workers’ rights, including freedom of association, collective bargaining and the right to engage in lawful industrial action.
The union also raised concerns over alleged corruption and extortion involving sections of the traffic police, calling for impartial investigations and greater accountability within law enforcement agencies.
ZCTU said the country’s independence should ultimately be measured by the quality of life enjoyed by its citizens.
“The struggle for political independence must culminate in economic justice.”
