Cde Plummer, the co-founder of the Brooklyn-based civil and
human rights organisation, died aged 86 on Monday.
In a statement yesterday, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe
will forever remain grateful and indebted to the great sacrifices that Cde
Plummer made for the country.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have learnt of the demise
of one of our own, Cde Viola Plummer, chairperson of the December 12 Movement.
“On my own behalf, the party Zanu PF and indeed the
Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, I wish to extend our deepest
condolences to the Plummer family, the entire December 12 family, and all the
revolutionary peoples of the world, for the loss of a great companion and
comrade.
“We have been robbed of a gallant liberation fighter, a
true Pan-Africanist who stood by us throughout her illustrious life.”
Zanu PF, President Mnangagwa said, first struck a chord
with the December 12 Movement in the 1960s, in the formative years of the
struggle.
“Since then, an unbreakable bond was created. Cde Viola,
and her fellow comrades, including the now departed Cde Coltrane Chimurenga,
were drawn into the struggle for black liberation by the desire and commitment
to fight the unjust evil system that treated black people as second-class
citizens in the United States of America.
“Cde Viola was instrumental and central to the formation of
the December 12 Movement, which morphed into an underground liberation movement
right in the belly of the beast.”
President Mnangagwa said her journey was one of
selflessness and sacrifice, braving all the brutality brought upon her and her
movement by the racist US system.
“After realising that their fight for freedom and justice
in the US was not going to be completely fruitful without going back to the
roots, Cde Viola, Cde Chimurenga and others decided to scan for brotherhood and
solidarity with fellow Africans and other global citizens fighting for the
freedom of all humanity, and the eradication of the system of racism.
“This strategic move saw Cde Viola and her comrades
establishing solid relations not only with the liberation movements in
Zimbabwe, but also in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Venezuela and Cuba, to
mention a few.
“The December 12 Movement effectively took the African
liberation voice deep into the US, albeit under very difficult conditions, and
in most cases at the expense of their own personal freedom and prosperity.”
The President also said that the solid solidarity cemented
with liberation movements in Zimbabwe in the 1960s was further strengthened
when the nation gained political independence in 1980.
“When the West imposed its illegal and inhumane sanctions
upon us for taking back our land, the December 12 Movement led by Coltrane
Chimurenga as a founding member was the first ‘out of the continent’ group to
take up the fight in defence of their motherland.
“Despite the successive US governments’ sustained efforts
to specify, isolate and render the movement dysfunctional, the December 12
Movement, under the continued leadership of Cde Viola, stood tall and tough,
telling the racist US government to keep its hands off Zimbabwe.
“Owing to Cde Viola’s uncompromising stance, the December
12 Movement literally owned the anti-sanctions campaign in the US.
“Cde Viola and her troops became a regular feature at the
United Nations General Assembly where each year they stood firm in defence of
Zimbabwe, and played a critical role in countering the feeble but toxic actions
of some of our own Zimbabwean nationals who continue to campaign for the West
to suffocate us.”
President Mnangagwa also pledged to safeguard the already
established strong ties between Zimbabwe and the December 12 Movement.
“In Cde Viola, Cde Chimurenga and the entire December 12
Movement, we had a presence in spaces we could not reach on our own to defend
our cause. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment