Acting President Constantino Chiwenga on Friday renewed his anti-corruption message, warning that Zimbabwe risks betraying the ideals of the liberation struggle if leaders continue to enrich themselves while the majority remain trapped in poverty.
Speaking at the burial of the late Brigadier-General Mathias Tizirai Ngarava at the National Heroes Acre, Chiwenga challenged today’s leadership to reflect on the legacy it is creating, framing it as a choice between patriotic service and plunder.
“The liberation struggle was not waged so that a few could prosper while many remain in abject poverty,” Chiwenga said.
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“It was fought so that every Zimbabwean could walk in dignity and be economically empowered.”
He said honouring fallen heroes required more than ceremonial funerals, arguing that true respect lay in ethical leadership, clean governance and policies that uplift citizens.
“Our duty is not merely to honour their memory; it is to implement their vision through ethical leadership, clean governance, unity of purpose and economic transformation,” he said.
“What legacy are we creating one of sacrifice and national purpose, or one of plunder?”
Chiwenga warned against abuse of public office and self-enrichment, saying such practices undermine national unity and erode the values for which liberation war veterans fought.
He stressed that ethical leadership and a shared national purpose were central to restoring public trust.
Turning to the economy, the Acting President said Zimbabwe could only achieve accelerated growth if corruption was decisively defeated at all levels of government.
He linked clean governance to the country’s goal of attaining upper middle-income status by 2030.
“Realising our vision of becoming an Upper Middle-Income society hinges on our collective commitment to ethical behaviour and rejection of selfish enrichment practices,” Chiwenga said, adding that industrialisation, value addition and inclusive growth must remain priorities.
