Govt speaks on Gokwe Independence Day disaster

GOVERNMENT was yesterday at pains to explain the embarrassing Independence Day celebrations held in a muddy and waterlogged stadium in Gokwe North, Midlands province.

Zimbabweans were outraged by images circulating on social media depicting the poor workmanship at the venue of the celebrations.

Just last week, the government announced that progress had been made in lawn-planting, terracing, construction of changing rooms, floodlight installation and construction of ablution blocks at the stadium.

The state of the stadium was an eyesore and the main match had to be abandoned after 15 minutes because of the poor drainage system, because it was waterlogged.

Several planned projects to facilitate Independence Day celebrations in Gokwe were not completed, while others were poorly executed.

Information minister Jenfan Muswere said the government would ensure the projects for the Gokwe North constituency were completed.

“Hosting the independence celebrations in Gokwe was a deliberate approach by the government and President Emmerson Mnangagwa to reach out to marginalised areas; this is an inclusive approach by the government,” he said

“We want everyone to enjoy the country and those projects which have not been finished in Gokwe are going to be finished.

“Hosting the Independence Day celebrations in Gokwe was also part of the devolution agenda to reach out to every area; we have been to Mt Darwin, Murambinda and now Gokwe.”

In his address on Friday, Mnangagwa underscored the importance of preserving morals and cultural values, which he said were fundamental to national identity and social cohesion.

“Moral standards and the family institution must be deliberately protected. Zimbabwe has been, and must remain, a stronghold of the traditional values on which human civilisation stands,” he said.

Opposition party president Linda Masarira praised the decentralisation of Independence Day commemorations.

“Decentralising national events like the Independence Day celebrations is not just symbolic, but practical, it ensures that development is taken to all corners of the country and not just concentrated in major cities,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mnangagwa was in Masvingo province yesterday where he addressed the 2025 Zion Christian Church Easter Conference at Mbungo Estate in Bikita.

Mnangagwa urged the church to pray for peace. Newsday