THE Southern Africa Liberation Day commemorations that were held on Sunday present the region with yet another opportunity to refl ect on the direction it has taken in fulfi lling the numerous objectives of its various liberation struggles as well as the prospects that lie on the road ahead. And the burning question: Are we there yet, continues to linger menacingly on the lives of the masses in SADC, especially in the wake of renewed attempts by Western powers to derail the people’s project in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the rest of the bloc. Western countries, currently contending with embarrassing divisions ostensibly over the drawn out war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump’s widely expected but now increasingly erratic behaviour are scaling up their desperate manoeuvres to shore up their fast depleting coff ers by creating anarchy in Southern Africa, the last frontier of vast untapped mineral resources.

In their estimate, there should be minimal resistance to the annihilation of liberation movements in the region through their acolytes whom they refer to as ‘democrats’ who are pursuing what they term the ‘struggle’ for democracy. But Southern Africa and indeed Africa’s struggle for freedom and independence cannot be redefi ned. It is clearly engraved in the hearts and minds of the masses who endured the vagaries of colonialism.

It is aptly written in the scars, in the many marked and unmarked graves across Southern Africa. Thus, the region’s seemingly never-ending struggle is about giving back to the masses ownership of their land and mineral resources with their painful history in mind. Hence the commemoration of the Southern Africa Liberation Day. This is a day set aside, on March 23 2019, to celebrate and honour the heroism of brave men and women in SADC who took up arms to free their respective countries from the yoke of colonial bondage. This is in memory of what is described as one of the fi ercest conventional battles in African history after the Second World War in the small town of Cuito Cuanavale in the Cuando Cubango Province, southern Angola when the People’s Liberation Armed Forces (FAPLA) who were ably supported by the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) and the Cuban Revolutionary Forces went into battle and duly defeated the marauding forces of the apartheid regime of South Africa between November 1987 and March 1988. That battle was critical in many ways.

It helped Namibia attain its independence on March 21 1990. The battle also paved the way for the release, from prison, on February 11 1990, of Nelson Mandela who had been incarcerated for 27 years. It is the unity that was exhibited in that and several other battles in the region that has largely fortifi ed SADC’s resolve to repel brazen attempts by Western countries to subdue liberation movements. Independence, for many countries in the region, like Zimbabwe, did come as a mere token to appease Western conscience. It was brutally fought for. And Zimbabwe heads into the historic month of April armed with agonising memories of that struggle for freedom.

It is the month where we commemorate the execution of pioneers of resistance to colonialism — the likes of Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi, on Wednesday April 27 1898. The month that marked the decisive phase of the country’s struggle for freedom on Thursday, April 28 1966 in what is now known as the Chinhoyi Battle. The historic month we celebrate our independence on April 18.

Out of the many challenges that are confronting liberation movements in SADC, the existential threat of eroding economic empowerment of the masses looms large. Liberation movements are having to neo-colonialism locally supported by some turncoats.

As was the case with colonialism, that too will fail dismally. Over and above the daily threat of neo-colonialism is the continued attempt to erase the compelling history of struggle from the collective memory of the masses. For instance, the ‘Ian Douglas Smith was better’ narrative in Zimbabwe and the bizarre push by whites in South Africa to claim ‘independence’ in the Western Cape Province are part of a Western-drive broader agenda to create chaos and anarchy in the region so that they can take aim at liberation movements. The idea is to reclaim ‘their’ land in Zimbabwe while halting implementation of land reform in South Africa. Liberation movements stand warned of the looming struggle for land in Southern Africa. Young people must not only be imbued with education about our history, they must be economically empowered in order to fend off Western-sponsored attempts at destablisation.

As such, regional solidarity in keeping at bay those moves to plunder Southern African resources and several other emerging challenges that are confronting the region is paramount.

“As we commemorate this annual event, we deeply refl ect on where we stand in the context of our historical struggles, whose aim was to give full ownership of the means of production in our economies and, consequently, to be masters of our destiny, as well as to restore our dignity,” said President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also the SADC Chairperson, in a statement on Sunday. “I urge us all, as independent peoples of SADC, to remain vigilant and be alert to the emerging challenges that threaten our hard-won independence and the general stability in our region.

“We must continue to stand in solidarity against the imposition of illegal sanctions, use of coercive measures and/or any other actions that undermine sovereignty and territorial integrity.” As Southern Africa forges ahead with its agenda of maintaining peace and stability as well as uplifting the livelihoods of the masses, words must now translate into action in order to defeat the enemy who is unrelenting and unrepentant.