President Mnangagwa expressed sadness at the death of the head of the US political lobby, the December 12 Movement, Ms. Viola Plummer, describing her as a courageous liberation fighter and a true pan-Africanist who stood by Zimbabwe throughout her illustrious life.
CD Plummer, co-founder of the Brooklyn-based civil and human rights organization, died at the age of 86 on Monday.
In a statement yesterday, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe will forever remain grateful and indebted to the great sacrifices made by Commander Plummer for the country.
“It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the passing of one of our own, Ms. Viola Plummer, President of the December 12 Movement.
“On behalf of myself, the ZANU-PF, and certainly the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Plummer family, the entire December 12 family, and all the revolutionary peoples of the world, on the loss of a great comrade and comrade.
“We have been deprived of a courageous liberation fighter, a true champion of Pan-Africanism who stood by us throughout her illustrious life.”
President Mnangagwa said ZANU-PF 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 comrades, including Cde Coltrane Chimurenga, were drawn to the struggle for black liberation by the desire and commitment to fight the evil, unjust system that treated black people as second-class citizens in the United States of America. .
“Mr. Viola played an essential and central role in the formation of the December 12 Movement, which turned into an underground liberation movement in the belly of the beast.”
President Mnangagwa said that her journey was a journey of selflessness and sacrifice, defying all the brutality inflicted on her and her movement by the racist American regime.
“Realizing that their struggle for freedom and justice in the United States would not be entirely fruitful without returning to the roots, Cde Viola, Cde Chimurenga and others decided to search for brotherhood and solidarity with their fellow Africans and other global citizens for whom they are fighting. Freedom for all humanity, and justice On the racist system.
“This strategic move has seen Ms. Viola and her associates establish strong relationships not only with liberation movements in Zimbabwe, but also in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Venezuela and Cuba, to name a few.
“The December 12 Movement effectively took the voice of African liberation deep into the United States, albeit under extremely difficult circumstances, and in most cases at the expense of their personal freedom and prosperity.”
The President also said that the strong solidarity that had been strengthened with Zimbabwe’s liberation movements in the 1960s was further strengthened when the country gained political independence in 1980.
“When the West imposed its illegal and inhumane sanctions on us for reclaiming our land, the December 12 Movement led by Coltrane Chimurenga as a founding member was the first ‘off-continent’ group to take up the fight in defense of its motherland.” .
“Despite sustained efforts by successive United States governments to identify, isolate and obstruct the movement, the 12 December Movement, under the continued leadership of Mr. Viola, has stood tall and tough, telling the racist United States government to keep its hands off Zimbabwe.
“Because of the uncompromising stance taken by Mr. Viola, the December 12 Movement has literally owned the anti-sanctions campaign in the United States.
“Mrs Viola and her troops have become a regular feature at the UN General Assembly where each year they have stood firm in defense of Zimbabwe, playing a decisive role in countering the weak but toxic actions of some of our own Zimbabwean citizens who continue their campaign for the West to strangle us.”
President Mnangagwa also pledged to maintain the strong ties that already exist between Zimbabwe and the 12 December Movement.
“In Cde Viola, Cde Chimurenga and the entire December 12 Movement, we had a presence in spaces that we could not reach on our own to defend our cause,” he declares.
