Morgan Tsvangirai's Heroes Day message

TODAY, we celebrate Heroes' Day and tomorrow, we remember our gallant sons and daughters who have sworn to defend this country and its people when we celebrate Defence Forces Day.

Morgan Tsvangirai

We have many brave men and women of this country who paid the ultimate price to bring independence to the country of our birth.
Our only tragedy was that independence did not necessarily come with freedom and we still aspire to enjoy the full benefits of the struggle for which so many Zimbabweans died for.

Up to this day, we remain a nation of a heroic people as we have tenaciously toiled over the last 33 years to complete the unfinished business of our liberation struggle; indeed to achieve the true meaning of our collective national aspiration for a better life for ourselves and our children.

The right to choose freely, the right to health and education and the right to be Zimbabweans with full rights and benefits in the country of our birth were some of the key reasons that drove us to participate in that struggle.

Indeed, so many sons and daughters of this country sacrificed their own lives so that we could be free again and one of the fundamental rights for which they toiled and died for was our right to vote.

We have just come from a disputed and stolen election and the majority of Zimbabweans are still shocked at the brazen manner in which their vote was stolen.

That stolen vote is a major betrayal of our inalienable right to vote for which so many people died.

Even the so-called victors are ashamed to showcase and celebrate their stolen bounty.

There is no national celebration and all I can see is a nation in mourning over the audacity of so few to steal from so many.
The thief left so much evidence at the scene of crime as we shall expose in the people's petition that we filed last week.

We know that the nation voted for change and real transformation.

We know that even our patriotic sons and daughters in the security services sector voted for positive change in their lives and they have yet to some to grips with the glaring evidence of their stolen vote.

I urge all the heroic people of Zimbabwe not to despair.

I want to congratulate all Zimbabweans, including those serving in the defence forces, because we know you voted in difficult circumstances for a better life and for better prospects for the country.

We must all remain calm as we celebrate Heroes' Day.
I know that we will always be a heroic people.

The people's will shall always be greater than an individual's preoccupation with the preservation of personal power.

Yes, the people's will shall always prevail. Today's theft cannot stand in the way of tomorrow's loud expression of the people's will.
Let all Zimbabweans enjoy this day. Let us all spend the holiday with our families, including our parents and relatives in the rural areas.
Let us inspire them and give them confidence. We know they voted for change and we know their will shall prevail.

We are a nation of heroes and heroines. Temporary setbacks have never stood in the way of a people with determination and stubborn will.
And I know Zimbabweans are determined to achieve this change within their lifetime.

I see a brighter tomorrow for all of us. I see the triumph of the will of the people. I see today's thieves caught up in the shame of their brazen theft of the people's will.

Yes, I see a new and better Zimbabwe for we are a proud nation of a determined people.

We shall remain resolute and steadfast until we achieve the national quest of change and real transformation.

That new Zimbabwe is coming soon!