Lt. General Martin Chedondo says the young generation should take it upon themselves not to destroy what has been achieved, not to discard the principle and philosophy of the elder ones, but rather fertilise the ideas so that they evolve with modern trends in the international and global geopolitical environment.
The Zimbabwean ambassador to China called on the youth to emulate those of yester year who spent their youthful days committed to fighting to liberate their nation.
“I went to war at 22 years. It was not an easy assignment. My youth days were spent in the bushes and to this day I continue to defend the revolution,” he said.

He implored the youth to sit and reflect on the achievements Zimbabwe has. He expressed worry on the misinformation the youth were consuming and challenged them to look deep into the history of Zimbabwe. The youth are the custodians of the liberation gains and should guard it jealously.

For the past 43 years Zimbabwe has made strides towards total emancipation of its people. Reiterating the words of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, he pointed out that political independence without economic emancipation was incomplete. He said Zimbabweans in the diaspora should invest back home in different sectors opened by the government and commanded them to go back home and build the nation under the mantra ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’.
This year’s Independence Day celebration was running under the theme ‘Our nation will be built by none but ourselves’. He said it was up to Zimbabweans to fashion to fashion their own development path based on their situation and experience.
Speaking on the upcoming 2023 general elections, Chedondo pointed at China saying, “China is moving forward with development. For us every 5 years we are fighting on who is going to lead us, which is not important. We should focus on what we are doing for the nation to move forward.”
China and Zimbabwe established formal diplomatic relations on 18 April 1980. Since then, the two sovereign states have collaborated in several developmental projects in infrastructure, education, technology, agriculture and more. Their bilateral relation is guided by non-interference policy on internal affairs. He described China as a consistent and persistent friend of Zimbabwe which has been there since the liberation struggle. He expressed his gratitude to China and Russia Federation for vetoing the UN Security Council Resolution on Zimbabwe in 2008 for human rights violations and other political reasons.

Ambassador Chedondo told businesspeople who joined in the celebrations held in Beijing to take advantage of the vast opportunities that Zimbabwe presents under ‘Zimbabwe Is Open for Business’. He hoped that future investments will be towards mechanization and value addition for the country to move up the global value chain and earn more from its exports.
As the 2023 general elections approach, the Lt. General expressed confidents in the readiness for Zimbabwe to go to the polls. He said for the past five years Zimbabwe has done tremendous achievements across sectors. He called on the nation to support Zanu-PF which has a clear agenda of how to move the country forward.
Zimbabwe will be heading to the polls this July/ August on a date yet to be proclaimed. This would be the second election since the second republic led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa was elected to power in 2018.