War veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle of the 1970s and some Harare residents sing revolutionary songs outside a local court where former freedom fighter Douglas Mahiya was facing charges of allegedly undermining the authority of the president. Mahiya and other members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association convened a meeting last week and issued a communique blaming President Robert Mugabe for all the problems facing the nation. | VOA Studio 7

As Zimbabwe marks 45 years of independence from colonial rule, this is the current state of schools in communities that gave life and limb during the liberation struggle. Zimbabwe is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of natural resources, but its president, who is presiding over today’s independence event, runs criminal cartels that have looted the country dry. Zimbabwe has not achieved an O’Level pass rate above 33% in over thirty years, largely due to schools like this, whi