Online Reporter
Prosper Ndlovu and Gibson Mhaka
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has conferred liberation hero status on veteran journalist and Sunday News Assistant Editor, Mkhululi Sibanda.
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Martin Rushwaya said the President granted the honour in recognition of Sibanda’s contribution to the preservation of the history of the liberation struggle and development of the media sector.
Sibanda died on July 3 at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo after a brief illness.
He was 55.
Sibanda will be buried today at his rural home in Kezi.
In a letter copied to key arms of Government, ZANU PF Secretary-General Advocate Jacob Mudenda said: “I shall be most grateful if you would make the usual burial arrangements and payment of benefits to his family.”
Zimbabwe National Editors Forum (ZINEF) national coordinator, Njabulo Ncube, said they were happy “that the President has acknowledged our request for Sibanda to be granted, and declared a liberation hero”.
“We really appreciate and I think Sibanda is our first practicing journalist that has been given this status,” he said.
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) president, George Maponga, also expressed gratitude on behalf of journalists and applauded President Mnangagwa for the honour bestowed on Sibanda.
“Indeed, this honour has redefined the definition of a hero and extended the boundaries of what is a hero. In this case, the late Sibanda was a pacesetter and torchbearer in the media industry, especially considering that the media itself plays a very important role in nation building.” Sunday News Editor, Hatred Zenenga, said the pain was still too raw to comprehend.
“It still feels like he is simply late for work, which he will walk in any moment asking whether breakfast is ready before we discuss the day’s stories,” he said.
“I last spoke to him on Tuesday (last week). It is extremely difficult to believe that conversation would be our last.”
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister and Matobo North legislator Edgar Moyo, said: “I knew him not simply as a journalist, but as someone from our community.
“We regularly discussed development issues affecting our area. Even when life took us on different paths, those conversations never stopped.”
“His ‘Lest We Forget’ column enriched our national heritage. It reminded us where we came from and honoured those who sacrificed for this country. We greatly appreciated that work, and it is our hope that this legacy continues because it remains relevant to Zimbabwe.”
“This is not a legacy that belongs only to his family. It belongs to the entire nation.”
Former colleague and longtime friend Methuseli Moyo recalled a friendship that spanned decades, dating back to the time when Mkhululi Sibanda was a journalist at then Ziana while he was with The Chronicle.
“He was resilient. He constantly sought knowledge and never stopped learning. His academic journey reflected someone who believed that education has no finishing line,” said Mr Moyo.
“He loved this profession deeply. He never saw journalism merely as employment. It was his calling.”
During a farewell service held in the afternoon at Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour in Bulawayo, journalists stood shoulder to shoulder in silence, their cameras lowered, notebooks closed and voices subdued as they gathered to bid farewell to one of their own.
Senior politicians, lawyers, academics, business people, sports personalities, civic leaders and ordinary residents also attended and paid their last respects before Sibanda’s body began its final journey to Mavikaneni area in Donkwe-Donkwe in Kezi, Matobo District, where he will be laid to rest today.
The gathering itself told the story of Mkhays’ life, senior editors embraced young reporters he had mentored and politicians mingled with journalists.
Lawyers exchanged memories with academics while neighbours from Bulawayo’s Nketa suburb quietly joined the procession, remembering not the celebrated journalist but the humble neighbour they knew. Many struggled to hide their emotions.
Through his exceptional leadership and mentorship, Sibanda nurtured and developed numerous journalists who today occupy senior positions in various newsrooms while others have gone on to make significant contributions in different sectors.
His greatest contribution, however, was the documentation and preservation of Zimbabwe’s liberation history through his acclaimed Lest We Forget column, published in the Sunday News.
In recognition of these efforts, the Sunday News received commendation from President Mnangagwa during his keynote address at the launch of the Heritage Corridor in June 2021, where he praised the publication for documenting the country’s history and preserving its heritage.
Beginning his career at the former Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency (Ziana), he later joined the Zimpapers stable in 2001 as Deputy News Editor at the Chronicle before rising to News Editor and eventually Assistant Editor at Sunday News in 2013, a position he held until his death.
As the hearse slowly departed Nyaradzo Funeral Services, silence descended once again as journalists instinctively formed a guard of honour, their press jackets creating a poignant sea of blue and black.
The emotion deepened as the funeral procession made its way along Eighth Avenue, passing the Chronicle Building, the newsroom that had been Mkhays’ second home for much of his distinguished career.
It was there that countless stories were conceived, edited and polished under his watchful eye; where generations of young reporters sought his guidance; and where his unmistakable presence had become woven into the daily rhythm of Zimbabwe’s oldest newspaper stable.
