Online Reporter
George Maponga-Masvingo Bureau
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has conferred national hero status on Brigadier-General (Retired) Jonathan Willie Hungwe in recognition of the key role he played towards the country’s independence and the distinguished service to his motherland after majority rule in 1980.
The senior army officer and war veteran collapsed and died at his farm in Mwenezi last Friday.
He was 68.
Brig-Gen (Rtd) Hungwe’s Chimurenga name was “Vhito Masango Ferrari”. He joined the liberation struggle in Mozambique in 1978.
Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Ezra Chadzamira delivered the message of Brig-Gen Hungwe’s national hero status to his family and senior military officers, including Commander Zimbabwe National Army Lieutenant-General Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi, at a military funeral parade held in the national hero’s honour at 4 Infantry Brigade Headquarters yesterday.
Also present at the military parade were Zimbabwe National Army Chief of Staff, Quartermaster Staff Major General Simo Maseko, 4 Infantry Brigade Commander Brigadier-General Oscar Tshuma and other senior officers from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
Announcing the decision to confer national hero status on Brig-Gen Hungwe, Minister Chadzamira said President Mnangagwa decided to honour him in recognition of the sacrifices he made to free Zimbabwe from the yoke of colonialists and his loyal service to the nation after independence in various capacities.
“The President looked at the late Brig Gen (Rtd) Hungwe’s history in the liberation of this country and also the work he continued to do for his motherland after independence, right up to the advent of the Second Republic, where he was a key driver of the Command Agriculture programme as Zimbabwe gears for Vision 2030 of an upper-middle-income economy and saw it fit that he be bestowed the highest honour in the land of being a national hero,” said Minister Chadzamira.
“I have been sent by the President to inform the Hungwe family members, relatives, senior army officers here present and the whole nation that the late Brig Gen (Retd) Hungwe has been accorded national hero status.”
Minister Chadzamira said burial arrangements would be announced soon after consultations with the Hungwe family.
The family expressed gratitude to President Mnangagwa for honouring Brig Gen Hungwe.
Ms Rufaro Gloria Hungwe, who is the national hero’s eldest child, said the family was humbled by the recognition given to Brig Gen Hungwe.
“At least we are comforted that our father has been recognised by the Second Republic for the important role he played in the liberation struggle.
“We are grateful for this gesture, though we are mourning the loss of a man who was a dependable pillar of strength in the family,” she said.
Earlier on, Lt Gen Tapfumaneyi led a military funeral parade at 4 Infantry Brigade in honour of Brig Gen Hungwe.
He also led senior officers in the laying of wreaths on the casket bearing the remains of the national hero, which was draped in the national flag.
Speaking at the parade, Lt-Gen Tapfumaneyi challenged Zimbabweans to preserve the legacy of the country’s fallen heroes who paid the ultimate price in the fight for independence.
He added that many surviving war veterans carry lifetime scars of the torturous journey they navigated in a bid to free Zimbabwe from colonial bondage.
“The late Brig Gen (Retd) Hungwe just suddenly collapsed and died at his home and many of us who participated in the war of liberation sustained many wounds and injuries that could as well affect us anytime just like what happened to our colleague,” said Lt-Gen Tapfumaneyi.
“The only way we can honour and pay homage to heroes like the late Brig Gen (Retd) Hungwe is to preserve their legacy by continuing to uphold the values they fought for.
“Our generation fought the war to liberate Zimbabwe from white minority rule and the present generation should preserve that independence.”
Lt-Gen Tapfumaneyi also challenged Zimbabweans to maintain high levels of patriotism and unflinching loyalty to the motherland, taking a cue from heroes such as Brig-Gen Hungwe.
Brig-Gen Hungwe was born on April 13, 1958, in Mwenezi District.
He did his primary and secondary education in Chivi before completing his Ordinary Level at Cranborne Boys High School in Harare.
In January 1978, the national hero joined the liberation struggle, arriving in Mozambique through Chikwekwete Base.
He then started a training programme at Chikwekwete Base and upon completion, he was selected among comrades who were moving water material to the front for the execution of the struggle.
Brig-Gen Hungwe was then moved to Chibawawa Camp under the Red Army battalion, from where the battalion was moved to Dhondo and earmarked to undergo further military training in Korea.
His group was later moved to a place called Inhamhinga Training Base, where a special group of 300 was formed.
Brig-Gen Hungwe specialised in anti-tank weapons and among his instructors was the late Major-General Trust Mugoba.
He was later moved to Samakweza Camp, and during the ceasefire period, Brig-Gen Hungwe was part of a special ZANLA reserve force that remained in Mozambique, created as a contingency plan against the Rhodesians in case of surprise attacks.
He returned to Zimbabwe in July 1981 and joined Chitungwiza Assembly Point before joining the ZNA.
He was attested into the ZNA as a Warrant Officer Class 2 during integration on August 24, 1981.
Brig-Gen Hungwe successfully completed many courses during his time in the army, rising through the ranks from Warrant Officer Class 2 in 1981 to Brig-Gen in 2023.
He also held various appointments until he retired from the ZDF in April 2024, including Deputy Director (Welfare Services) in the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle ministry.
Brig-Gen Hungwe is survived by his wife Susan and six children.
