Zimbabwe African Peoples Union

THE PATRIOTIC FRONT IN GOVERNMENT

ZAPU AND OTHER PATRIOTIC FORCES

The Zimbabwe We Want to Build

The people of Zimbabwe have resisted and fought against colonial rule for many years. The PATRIOTIC FRONT took up arms in order to end colonial rule, to win genuine independence, and to bring about a new social order in Zimbabwe. In the many years of struggle to free ourselves, we have suffered humiliation, imprisonment and death. Through our own effort, today we stand certain of victory.

The immediate task of a PATRIOTIC FRONT Government shall be "to restore peace, security and order in the country.

A Patriotic Front Government shall safeguard the freedom of the individual through basic laws and shall guard against abuse of power. The fundamental laws will also protect all the people of Zimbabwe and not just a minority or particular group. The oppressed must be set free. These principles are an expression of the Patriotic Front's deep belief in the dignity and freedom of the individual and in justice and equality for all.

The PATRIOTIC FRONT subscribes to the following principles which it is determined to make real for the good of the people:-

1. The ending of the colonial war and all its causes, to bring about the necessary peace, reconciliation, reconstruction and the prosperity of Zimbabwe.
2. The promotion of unity of the people in a democratic state with no social, economic, religious, racial or tribal discrimination.
3. The guaranteeing of the well-being and quality of life of every Zimbabwean through the proper use of land as the common property of all the people of Zimbabwe.
4. The provision of work and conditions of happiness to every member of the community.
5. The guaranteeing to all the people of Zimbabwe the right to life, liberty, security and equality before the law.
6. The guaranteeing to all the people of Zimbabwe the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association in the social, political and economic life of the country.
7. The guaranteeing of the freedom of religious worship.

The People Are Hungry for Land

1. The country is ours. Land belongs to the people.
2. Colonial rule dispossessed the people of their land. The people of Zimbabwe have been settled on very poor land where it has been difficult for them to raise a living. The distribution of land based on discriminatory laws imposed by colonial governments was evil. As a result, the majority of the people have lived on the brink of poverty.
3. All our wealth comes from the land. The dispossession of the people and their cry for land in Zimbabwe is one of the root causes of our struggle. Zimbabwe is not free unless the people get their land back.
4. A Patriotic Front Government shall maintain the principle — Land Belongs to the People. It will implement it in such a way that the distribution and use of land is fair to all. The objective will be to make use of the land for speedy development of the country and to raise the living standards of the people.
5. All land will be put into use. That is, there will be land set aside for agriculture, industry, national parks, recreation, etc. A Patriotic Front Government shall make available funds and loans for the full development of land.

A Patriotic Front Government Shall Create Jobs for All

1. Colonial rule made a few people masters and the majority servants. This form of discrimination showed itself in the country's employment opportunities.
2. Colonial rule has also left a great majority of the people underemployed or without employment at all. Many workers have been laid off in recent years. The cry for jobs among the people is great.
3. A Patriotic Front Government shall, through programmes for economic expansion, work towards eliminating unemployment among the people.
4. A Patriotic Front Government shall, within the shortest possible time introduce a minimum wage for all the workers to enable every Zimbabwe citizen to enjoy a good standard of living.
5. Work is the source of progress. Speedy reconstruction and development need hard work from every member of the community. Hard work is therefore expected from all of us, for progress and prosperity. Laziness is the enemy of progress.

More and Better Homes for Families

1. The shortage of housing requires the immediate attention of a Patriotic Front Government.
2. Colonial rule created slums and shanty compounds. Many people live under terrible conditions. Poverty and disease take the lives of many children and the aged every day.
3. A home to live in is a basic human need and a basic human right. The right to a house should not be determined by riches or by the whim of a landlord.
4. A PATRIOTIC FRONT Government shall make sure that everyone has a chance of owning or renting a decent home with security of tenure.
5. A Patriotic Front Government shall abolish residential areas based on race. Together with local authorities, it shall build homes which every family can eventually own.

A Patriotic Front Government's policy shall be A home for every family.

Local Government Authorities shall be assisted by a PATRIOTIC FRONT Government with loans and subsidies in Home Ownership Projects throughout the country.

Displaced Persons Shall Be Resettled

In the struggle for freedom, many people were removed by force from their land; their homes were destroyed. Many paid the price of freedom with their lives.

There are those who fled the countryside because of the colonial war and went into towns and cities and became squatters. Thousands left the country as refugees. Hundreds were bombed and maimed by the regime's forces. They endured untold suffering.

Displaced persons must be given back their land.

1. Where families have been broken up as a result of the colonial war, efforts will be made by a Patriotic Front Government to bring them together.
2. Where homes have been destroyed, a Patriotic Front Government shall provide homes and places of residence to displaced families.
3. Where people have suffered loss or damage due to their support for the liberation struggle, a Patriotic Front Government shall assist them to start a normal life.

Education for Every Child

Education is the must important factor in developing the people so that they can solve their problems.
A Patriotic Front Government will ensure that every child in Zimbabwe has education.

Colonial rule has deliberately not provided adequate education in order to make the people servants of the colonial system.

A Patriotic Front Government shall make sure that the education provided in Zimbabwe gives the people a consciousness which engenders habits of honesty, hard work, and a keen sense of duty. Education must prepare the people for what happens in real life, in the development of our cultural values. The history of Zimbabwe shall be written and given a correct perspective.

For these reasons, a Patriotic Front Government shall:

• Take the necessary measures to provide compulsory and free education for every child up to the age of sixteen.
• A Patriotic Front Government shall also take steps to give lessons to adults who cannot read or write.
• Abolish all discrimination in educational institutions.
• Pay great attention to the establishment of vocational, technical and scientific research institutions to meet the needs of reconstruction and development.
• Expand The University of Zimbabwe.
• If possible other university colleges shall be established to meet the growing needs of the nation.
• Pay immediate attention to the establishment of special schools for the retarded or handicapped.
• Also give attention to housing for teachers and improved classrooms which in most parts of the country have been neglected.

More and Better Hospitals

Healthy citizens are a priority in the development of a country.

Colonial rule has neglected African public health, especially in the countryside. Children suffer from malnutrition and die from communicable diseases. Many people are left without medical attention, even in cases where lives could be saved.
A Patriotic Front Government shall ensure that after independence a public health scheme is provided throughout the country and health services shall be free to ensure that health services reach every home.

A Patriotic Front Government shall place emphasis on preventive medicine.

1. More and improved hospitals and clinics in both rural and urban areas will be built within reach of the people.
2. Free ambulance services shall be expanded and made available to all.
3. There shall be established free milk schemes and/or feeding schemes for children and expectant mothers. Free nursery centres shall also be established.
4. There shall be provided clean water supplies in the country with piped facilities where possible.
5. A more comprehensive national health service shall be developed.

OUR AIM IS A SELF-RELIANT ECONOMY

All the natural resources of Zimbabwe belong to the people and must be retained and shared by them all. Under a Patriotic Front Government the state shall ensure their use in accordance with the growing needs of the people. A favourable climate shall be created to provide for speedy development and high standards of living.

All available resources in the economy shall be effectively used to promote more employment opportunities. Differences in wages shall be rationalised. People of the same profession shall be paid according to their qualifications, without any discrimination.

A fair tax system shall be worked out and implemented, taking into account the present large disparities in income and wealth, and the revenue needs of the government.

Agriculture

1. The aim of a Patriotic Front Government shall be to help in the efficient production and use of raw materials for industry.
2. Modern agricultural techniques shall be introduced with the aim of producing sufficient food and raw materials for industry.
3. Agricultural research institutions and colleges shall be established.
4. More loans shall be provided to improve agricultural methods.
5. Facilities for canning of beef, fruit and vegetables will be provided and expanded.
6. People's Cooperatives will be used widely and an efficient pricing system developed.
7. A marketing system shall be worked out taking into account the needs of both the producer and the consumer.
8. Forests and game parks shall be maintained in the interests of the nation.
9. A vigorous land settlement, distribution and utilisation programme shall be pursued as a policy.
10. Dams and irrigation schemes shall be constructed to improve agriculture and pastoral farming.

Industry

1. A Patriotic Front Government shall promote harmonious and mutually supportive development between agriculture and industry.
2. At the same time it shall promote harmonious and mutually supportive development between heavy and light industry.
3. A Patriotic Front Government shall encourage diversification of the economy by encouraging self- reliance and self-sufficiency.
4. All industrial sectors, especially the infra-structural sectors shall be developed and improved.
5. Productivity of labour will be increased, better housing and better social amenities encouraged.
6. While pursuing the government's policy of full employment, a Patriotic Front Government will recognise the fact that the worker has the right to more than a job. He has the right to good working conditions and the right to rest.
7. Facilities for fishing shall be developed and expanded.
8. Workers shall enjoy trade union rights.

The Rural Areas Shall Be Developed

The people in the rural areas have carried the greatest burden of the colonial war. They have had their way of life greatly disrupted. The regime has provided limited facilities for their well-being.

A Patriotic Front Government will ensure that roads and railways are built and postal services installed within reasonable distance of every home.

Electric power shall be extended to all rural areas and every home shall ultimately use electricity.

Together with District Councils, a Patriotic Front Government shall provide necessary building materials for the construction of new houses.

A Patriotic Front Government shall ensure that Grain Marketing Depots are set up all over the country as near as practicable to all producers. All produce shall reach the market to guarantee the producer his earnings.

There Shall Be More Opportunities for Youth

Thousands of boys and girls leave school every year. But their lives become wasted because colonial rule has not given them efficient training to face life. As a result, the careers of youth are wasted and Zimbabwe has suffered a serious waste of talent.

A Patriotic Front Government shall ensure that Youths get a better, happier and fuller start in adult life.

No boy or girl who can benefit from higher education must lose the chance through lack of money. Youths who leave school and start work at once must be provided with wider opportunities for apprenticeships and part- time education. A Patriotic Front Government will train them for worthwhile careers and widen their horizons as citizens of Zimbabwe.

Management training schemes in both public and private firms shall be encouraged.

Youth Employment Service to help young people find suitable jobs will be established.
Youth clubs, sporting facilities, hostels, camp-sites, playing fields, swimming pools shall be provided.

All Discrimination Shall Be Abolished

Colonialism and discrimination, of all kinds, go hand in hand. Under colonial rule, discrimination has been a way of life in Zimbabwe. The result has been the division of our society into two hostile camp - The Haves and The Have Nots. While a small section of people had everything, the majority had and continue to have nothing — poor food, poor housing and poor clothing.

A PATRIOTIC FRONT Government is committed to abolish all discrimination based on social, economic, religious, racial, or tribal differences.

Women shall enjoy equal rights with men in all respects, with equal protection by the state of each in case of abuse by the other.

Children shall be properly brought up and also protected by the state in case of abuse.

The Civil Service Shall Be Efficient and Non-Racial

Colonial rule created a public service based on discrimination and favouritism. As a result, capable people have been kept out of the public services. Public servants have served the interests of a few people. The majority of the people have not been adequately served.

A Patriotic Front Government will speed up restructuring of the public service, while maintaining high efficiency, It will launch vigorous training programmes for eligible employees.

The wages and salaries of public servants with low incomes shall be revised in line with those of other sectors under a Patriotic Front Government s minimum wage policy.

New public service regulations shall be implemented to reflect the new order of government.

Equality Before the Law

1. A Patriotic Front Government shall ensure equality of all people before the law.
2. Legal training shall be expanded.
3. A Patriotic Front Government shall unify and codify African customary law.
4. The Police Force shall be trained and maintained with discipline which will inspire the confidence of the public.
5. Legal aid will be extended in criminal cases and provided, where necessary in civil cases.

Zimbabwe Shall Be Defended

A Patriotic Front Government is committed to strengthening the armed forces of Zimbabwe in order to ensure internal security and to provide effective defence against external aggression.

To achieve these objectives, a Patriotic Front Government will undertake the following programmes:

1. The Zimbabwe Army will be increased in proportion to the needs of the nation.
2. An up-to-date Zimbabwe Air Force will be created including an increase of air force stations.
3. There will be a National Service through which every able-bodied citizen shall go.
4. A people's militia shall be developed and maintained in all areas of the country.

There Shall Be Social Security for All

The discrimination in the country's social security system will be abolished.

A Patriotic Front Government will review the problems of social security for all persons. To provide security and happiness to all, the state shall provide grants and subsidies to a National Social Security Fund.

A Patriotic Front Government shall provide for the following:

1. Old-age pensions
2. Sickness benefits
3. Maternity benefits
4. Orphans' benefits
5. War victims' fund
6. National Scheme of compulsory contributory pensions

Immigration and Tourism

The Patriotic Front Government shall provide an Immigration and Tourism policy based on political, economic, and social advantages to Zimbabwe.

Foreign Policy

Upon independence, the foreign policy of an independent Zimbabwe shall be based on the following principles:-

1. Non-aggression and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states.
2. Respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and equality of all states.
3. Peaceful co-existence of all states, regardless of their size and social system.
4. Upholding the principles of Non-Alignment and of the Charters of the O.A.U. and the United Nations.
5. Continuing to make contribution to the world-wide anti-imperialist struggle aimed at ridding humanity of national oppression, racism, and exploitation. In this way, Zimbabwe will also contribute to world peace and social progress.

Headquarters: 75 Moffat Street, Salisbury
Telephone: 702319
Produced and printed by the Patriotic Front (ZAPU), P.O. Box 1657, Lusaka.