Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe
made the announcement yesterday, confirming that Zimbabwe would today witness
the interment of three national heroes on the same day, for the first time.
This follows the double burial last week of the late
veteran nationalist Cde Morton Malianga and the late Manicaland Minister of
Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba.
Dr Moyo died on Wednesday last week while Dr Matiza and
Major-General (Retired) Zimondi both died on Friday. The three died of Covid-19
related health complications.
Minister Kazembe said the burials would follow strict
Covid-19 control measures prescribed by the Government to contain the rapid
spread of the virus.
“The Acting President (General Rtd Dr Chiwenga) will
preside over the burials of the three national heroes.
“We are in the middle of the pandemic and like what has
already been announced, the burials will follow strict control measures.
“There will be limited numbers and those who are coming for
the burials will do so strictly by invitation. Those who are coming have
already been notified,” said Minister Kazembe.
Lieutenant General (Retired) Dr Moyo was a three-star
General on retirement, and served his country as a Cabinet Minister, while
Major-General (Retired) Zimondi was a two-star General on retirement from the
army before being seconded to the then Zimbabwe Prison Service in 1997.
Despite his exemplary career in the military, Lt Gen Moyo
was a distinguished scholar of international repute, President Mnangagwa last
week said he balanced his time between his responsibilities and chores as a
soldier, and his pursuit of higher studies.
“Such was his discipline and unrelenting quest for
self-improvement which inspired all of us,” he said.
As a Cabinet minister, Dr Moyo had become the face of the
country’s re-engagement thrust under the New Dispensation led by President
Mnangagwa, had been making steady progress on that front with Zimbabwe now
beginning to enjoy warmer ties with countries formerly regarded as adversaries.
Villagers in Jona Village, Mbuyanehanda area in Mberengwa,
unsuccessfully implored authorities this week to deploy a helicopter carrying
Dr Moyo’s body to do a “fly past” in the area so that they could bid farewell
to one of their own since they would not be allowed into the National Heroes
Acre because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Busi, as the late national hero was affectionately known in
the Mbuyanehanda area, endeared himself to the local community, especially
after his sudden and unexpected rise to fame in November 2017 when he was
tasked with announcing the coming in of the New Dispensation.
Visibly shaken and troubled, the villagers were yesterday
still trying to come to terms with Busi’s death, wishing all the time, that
their request had been approved.
The villagers appeared to be more frightened of the deadly
pandemic after it robbed them of their gallant son.
They all seemed determined to know of the funeral
arrangements and whether they would be allowed a chance to see their hero for
one last time even in the midst of the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are shaken, we are speechless, how come this Covid-19
thing decided to hit us hard by taking the man who we were all looking up to in
Mberengwa and Mbuyanehanda in particular. We are terrified,” said local
Councillor, Mr Misheck Gomesh Zhou who was among the villagers at the late
Minister Moyo’s homestead.
A local village head, Mr Teerai Siyakwazi said the late
Minister Moyo was so passionate about development and he was about to complete
a water reticulation project in the entire Mbuyanehanda area.
Mrs Aleta Moyo, wife to the late Minister Moyo’s bother
Bothwel, said the Moyo family had lost a pillar.
“He was a very quiet man, a loving husband but very
pragmatic and a unifier. He was passionate about development and every now and
then, he would ask my husband, his brother, to identify areas which needed
urgent attention,” she said.
Acting President Chiwenga extolled the journey travelled by
Minister Matiza saying he held several appointments such as Minister of
Transport and Infrastructural Development, as well as Minister of State for
Mashonaland East Province, and Deputy Minister of Local Government, Public
Works and National Housing.
Acting President Chiwenga said the fact that he was entrusted
to hold such portfolios signifies the wealth of experience in Government that
he accumulated over the years.
He said Dr Matiza was a resolute and transformative
minister committed to implementing transport and infrastructural development
programmes and projects.
VP Chiwenga said Minister Matiza advocated the utilisation
of local materials and human capital, which helped to reduce operational costs
and empowered the expertise abundant in the country.
Acting President Chiwenga said the late Major General
(Retired) Zimondi, was a stalwart of the liberation struggle who played a
critical role in that regard.
Major-General Zimondi joined the liberation struggle as a
cadre of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (Zanla) in 1974 and
underwent military training at Mgagao in Tanzania.
After completing training, he was chosen to be an
instructor. However, that appointment was shortlived as he was nominated to be
part of the comrades who were deployed to open a new front in Gaza Province for
joint operations with the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (Zipra) under
the banner of the Zimbabwe People’s Army (Zipa).
“Cde Tonderai Nyika was a close friend and fellow member of the Zanla High Command. Due to his diligence and acumen, he was given operational tasks that made a great impact in turning around the tide of the liberation war effort against the Rhodesian colonial establishment.”
He said apart from commanding Manica Province, he was part of the Zanla contingent that carried out the very first attack on Rhodesia’s third largest city, Umtali (now Mutare) in 1978 and the acting President described him as a great strategist and shrewd commander.
In post-independence Zimbabwe, Major-General (Retired)
Zimondi had an illustrious service in the Zimbabwe National Army where he was
Colonel General Staff (Col GS) in charge of army operations, Commander I
Infantry Brigade, Chief of Defence Intelligence and Commander, Presidential
Guard Brigade.
On retirement in 1997, he was assigned to the then Zimbabwe
Prison Service (now the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service) and later
became its Commissioner-General.
“Among other modernisation strategies, he spearheaded the
transformation of the correctional service to focus on rehabilitation of the
offender.”
Zimbabwe Union of Drivers and Conductors (Zudac) mourned
the late heroes, saying their death was a great loss to the nation.
In a statement, Zudac president Mr Fradreck Maguramhinga,
hailed the open door policy of Minister Matiza.
“He was the first Minister of Transport to listen to us and
managed to meet truck drivers, bus drivers, kombi drivers, taxi drivers and
other transport workers.” Herald
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