War veterans have called upon the government to declare 25 October a public holiday.
This comes after SADC countries have declared the day a solidarity day against sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western powers including the USA and the European Union.
Western powers cited violations of human rights cited as the reasons behind the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe on the turn of the millennium.
Sanctions followed a bloody fast track land reform programme which started in 1999 which resulted in white farmers being forcefully driven out of their farms.
The ruling ZANU PF, however, says that the Western countries could not have imposed sanctions were it not of the opposition MDC which invited them upon the country.
ZANU PF believes sanctions were put in place to effect regime change.
Zanu-PF’s secretary for Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Ex-political prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees, Douglas Mahiya, said that sanctions have affected trade in the Southern Africa region as Zimbabwe is disabled by “sanction-induced” economic hardships from selling or buying from regional states. He said:
It would be very good for day to be declared a holiday. If the President says that day is a holiday it means that industry, farmers, doctors and everyone must be supportive of that day.
The day is very important, this is a day Zimbabweans should demonstrate how progressive they are because here is a whole region supporting Zimbabwe.
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