Forgotten yesteryear musician Paradzai Mesi will be one of the main act in as far as entertainment is concerned during the Independence Day principal celebrations to be held in Mt Darwin.
Mesi will light the stage along with Sungura music king Alick Macheso who also hails from the same province.
Apparently, Mesi has been off the scenes for some time with some reports alleging that he is now a drunkard. Others call him a spent force and he be prepared to prove them wrong.
The Ministry of Information has revealed that the Independence Day main celebrations will be unpacked as follows:
1.0 *2023 Independence Anniversary Celebrations & Children’s Party*
Cabinet received an update on the status of preparations for the 2023 Independence Anniversary and Children’s Party Celebrations, as presented by the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon J.G. Moyo, Chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on State Occasions and National Monuments.
Cabinet wishes to inform the nation that the Independence Celebrations will be held on the 18th of April, 2023 at Mount Darwin High School in Mashonaland Central Province and will be running under the theme: _Zim@43: Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo /Ilizwe Lakhiwa Ngabanikazi Balo_.
In line with Government’s devolution and decentralisation thrust, the 2023 Children’s Party Celebrations will be held at Pfura Stadium, Mount Darwin Centre on the 17th April, 2023, while the 2023 Independence Anniversary Celebrations will be held on 18th April, 2023 at Mount Darwin High School, Mount Darwin Centre. Learners are being mobilised from all Provinces for the Children’s Party as well as providing entertainment and mass displays.
An additional four hundred children will be drawn from the districts in the hosting province, bringing the total to 1 500 children. The Musical bands for the Children’s Party will be as follows: Freeman; Voltz-Kosilati Sibaya; and Leo Magozz.
The Programme will start at 0900hrs and end at 1600hrs. His Excellency the President will lead in the planting of at least 43 trees on the 17th of April at the Independence Celebrations venue to mark 43 years of Independence. An assortment of fruit trees will be planted at the Mount Darwin High School orchard.
The Official Independence Day Programme will start at 0600hrs and end at 1430hrs. Around 45 000 people are expected to attend the Celebrations. Alick Macheso and Paradzai Messi will provide entertainment for the main Independence Celebrations. They will be complemented by a Cultural act of 100 Artists who will synchronize with the 500 school children doing gymnastics, and supported by the Zimbabwe Republic Police band.
In the afternoon there will be a match between Dynamos and Highlanders for the Independence Trophy at Mount Darwin High School, with His Excellency the President as the Guest of Honour. In the evening, there will be a musical gala, and several artists are billed to perform. The venue for the gala is Pfura Stadium.
The Independence Flame will be lit on the 13th April, 2023 at Harare Kopje, and a road show will start from there and pass through Mazowe, Concession, Glendale, Bindura, Madziva, Dotito, Rushinga, Chibondo National Monuments, Mount Darwin District Heroes Acre, and finally land at the Independence Celebrations venue. The Flame will be received at Chibondo National Monuments by Traditional Chiefs in Mashonaland Central, at a ceremony on 17th April, 2023. Cde K.C.D. Mohadi and Cde K. Kazembe will grace the occasion.
Cde Mohadi will then lead the lighting ceremony at Chibondo National Monument and the entourage to Mount Darwin District Heroes Acre. On the 18th April, 2023 athletes will carry the flame from Mount Darwin District Heroes Acre to Mount Darwin High School, the venue of the Independence Celebrations. Furthermore, an exhibition will be mounted at Chibondo National Monument to highlight the roles played by the masses and combatants in the Second Chimurenga War. Those in the surrounding areas are expected to attend the Exhibition in numbers.
Pertaining to roadworks being undertaken as part of the preparations, there are three contractors for the Harare-Bindura-Mount Darwin Road. The companies are on the ground and works are progressing well. CMED has been engaged to undertake works on the 1.8 km access road. The Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), formerly DDF, will undertake works on the following feeder roads: Darwin-Nyakasikana- Karanda, 30km; Nyakasikana-Mutondwe, 18km; Darwin-Tsakare, 42km; Chahwanda-Mudzengerere, 24km; Kaziro Road, 38km and Chahwanda- Chironga, 30km.
On water supply at the venue, the nation is being informed that ZINWA has provided a temporary water point on site, and has currently provided water tanks for provision of potable water. RIDA in conjunction with ZINWA has drilled a borehole close to the site. ZESA has installed a transformer and a feeder pillar on site. On Independence Day, a standby generator will be provided. Furthermore, load shedding has been suspended in Mount Darwin until after the Celebrations.
Those residing outside Mount Darwin should not despair as the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services will broadcast live all the four major events, namely: the Children’s Party; the Independence Day Celebrations; the march between Dynamos and Highlanders; and the Gala. The Ministry will provide T-shirts and caps for the 1 500 children and also brand thirty ZUPCO buses with the various messages which will be drawn from the theme. The Ministry has also embarked on an information campaign through print media, Television, radio as well as billboards to give publicity to the Independence Celebrations.
Cabinet highlights that the delegates attending the Celebrations will be encouraged to wear the national fabric. The nation is advised that there are outlets in major cities and towns which sell the national fabric including in Harare and Bindura. Plans are underway to set up an outlet in Mount Darwin. There will be an exhibition in Mount Darwin starting on 16th April, 2023 whereby designers will market the national fabric.
Regarding transportation for delegates, Cabinet is informing the nation that the host Province of Mashonaland Central has been allocated one hundred ZUPCO buses to ferry delegates to the venue. The other provinces have also been allocated some buses to transport delegates to the venue. Funds and buses have also been allocated to enable all the other provinces and districts to hold celebrations at their respective venues.
