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Columbus Mabika Herald Reporter
Liberation hero and decorated Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) general air officer and pilot, Air Commodore Pio Pasipamire Maketo, will be laid to rest today at Gweru Provincial Heroes Acre.
Air Commodore Maketo, who was Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo Air Force Base Commander, died on Saturday after he was involved in a road accident along the Harare-Bulawayo highway, 10km from Chegutu town.
He was 55.
On Wednesday, the AFZ held a funeral parade at the base.
Presiding over the parade in his honour at the Base, Commander AFZ, Air Marshal Elson Moyo, said the AFZ remains grateful to the good guidance and typical service Air Commodore Maketo showed adding his organisation is poorer without him.
“We are gathered here on a sad note to pay our last respects to an air officer who has left an exemplary legacy of flying excellence and command.
“The Air Force of Zimbabwe family will be poorer without the patriotic cadre that he was and whose remarkable conduct and dedication to duty shall always be remembered,” he said.
“He produced many qualified pilots and flying instructors. Some of the best pilots and flying instructors produced by the Air Force of Zimbabwe are his products. His duties involved the training of flying cadets to become qualified pilots and those already qualified as pilots to become flying instructors.”
Air Commodore Maketo was born on January 12, 1968 in Tsaka, Chirumanzu before doing his primary education at Nyamhunga in Gokwe and Batanai in Mabvuku and secondary education at Dzivaresekwa High School in Harare.
The young and energetic Maketo was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army on September 1, 1986 and later transferred to the AFZ on May 1, 1988 as an officer cadet in number 53 pilot training course at the school of flying training at then Thornhill Air Force Base (now Josiah Tungamirai Air Force Base) in Gweru.
The air officer excelled in his studies at the school in preparation for his flying training. Thereafter, he was posted to 6 Squadron where he successfully completed the flying training course.
He was awarded his flying wing badge and commissioned to the rank of Air Sub Lieutenant in 1989. Having graduated from 6 Squadron at Josiah Tungamirai Air Force Base he was posted to 3 Squadron at Manyame Air Force Base as a Squadron pilot.
He converted on the DC-3 aircraft (Dakota) as a co-pilot which he flew at the peak of the Mozambique campaign.
During his illustrious career, he successfully completed the following military courses; regular officer cadet course in 1988, Basic Flying Course in 1988, Junior Staff Course in 1995, Joint Command and Staff Course in 2006 and National Defence Course at Zimbabwe National Defence University in 2019.
He also held an Executive Diploma in Business Leadership from the Zimbabwe Institute of Management.
For his exploits, hard work and dedication, Air Commodore Maketo was decorated with the Independence medal, Ten Years’ Service medal, Mozambique Campaign medal, DRC Campaign medal and Long and Exemplary Service medal.
He is survived by his wife Grater Mabodza and four children.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter