Umdala Wethu: The Statesman who united a nation

In the story of Zimbabwe, there are names that echo. And then there is Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo - a man whose name is etched not merely in memory, but in the bedrock of the nation itself. As Zimbabwe marks 26 years since his passing on this day, 1 July 2025, we do so not just with solemnity, but with a sense of national reverence for a life lived in the service of freedom, reconciliation, and enduring statecraft.

Born in 1917 in Matabeleland, Nkomo was not made by the liberation struggle - he helped define it. Long before the thunder of the armed struggle reverberated across the hills and valleys of Rhodesia, Nkomo stood as a political giant, rallying masses through the power of organisation, ideology, and a vision of Black empowerment. As the founding president of ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People's Union), his leadership helped shape the political consciousness of the 1960s and 1970s, drawing global attention to the injustices of minority rule.

But Joshua Nkomo was not merely a politician. He was a liberation strategist.

He understood the necessity of armed resistance and helped form the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), whose contributions to the war for independence remain pivotal. Under his watch, ZIPRA became a disciplined force with clear objectives - not just to fight, but to liberate and build. While others fixated on immediate gains or factional power, Nkomo was thinking in decades - planning not only for victory, but for what would come after.

Yet perhaps the greatest test of his leadership came not during war, but in peace.

In the fragile years following independence in 1980, Zimbabwe teetered on the edge of division. Political tension, historical grievances, and external sabotage threatened to splinter a newly-born nation. Many leaders would have chosen bitterness, vengeance, or permanent opposition. Nkomo, in contrast, chose unity.

In 1987, the Unity Accord was signed between ZAPU and ZANU, giving birth to ZANUPF - a consolidated party that would guide the country through the challenges of nation-building. By appending his signature to that historic document, Dr. Nkomo made a profound political and personal sacrifice. He laid to rest the prospect of permanent political polarisation and reaffirmed the indivisibility of Zimbabwe.

That act alone is testament enough - but he didn't stop there.

As a senior statesman in the Presidium, serving as Vice President of the Republic, Nkomo became a calming, guiding force - a living bridge between the struggles of the past and the aspirations of a united future. Within the ranks of ZANUPF, he was not a token inclusion; he was a pillar of moral authority and strategic insight. He advised, cautioned, reconciled and stabilised. And in doing so, he helped to institutionalise the hard-won peace.

To reduce Nkomo to a regional figure would be a disservice to his pan-national impact. Though his support was strongest in Matabeleland, his legacy is imprinted across Zimbabwe - from the rural voter who saw him as a father of the struggle, to the young cadre who learned discipline and patriotism through his example.

Dr. Nkomo did not live to see all his dreams realised, but his contribution remains foundational. He taught the nation that real leadership sometimes means surrendering power to protect peace; that true revolutionaries must also be nation-builders; that unity is not the absence of difference, but the triumph of collective purpose.

Today, as Zimbabwe marches confidently toward Vision 2030, the enduring ideals of patriotism, peace, and unity that Joshua Nkomo embodied are more relevant than ever. He belonged to no tribe - he belonged to Zimbabwe. He served not for applause - but for the birth and survival of the nation. And in that service, he became immortal.

Bayethe, Umdala Wethu. Zimbabwe salutes you.