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Online Reporter
Following the death of former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko this afternoon, he has been declared a national hero.
Cde Mphoko was 84.
He was born on June 11, 1940, at Gwizane, in Bubi District of Matabeleland North.
He attended David Livingstone Memorial School in Ntabazinduna and Mzilikazi High School in Bulawayo. Between 1959-60, he enrolled at the Tsholotsho Agricultural Breeding and Experimental School where he did Cropping and Animal Husbandry.
After school, Cde Mphoko was employed by Dunlop Rhodesia Ltd between 1962-63 and was a workers’ representative in the Molding section.
Cde Mphoko was arrested in 1963 for political violence after lashing out at a Rhodesian police officer who had set his dog on him and fellow youths. He was sentenced to three years in jail and sent to Khami Prison.
He appealed against the sentence and was granted bail awaiting a retrial.
In the same year, he was a delegate at the Cold Comfort Farm People’s Caretaker Council Congress.
The Congress created a special Affairs Department and decided on an external wing of ZAPU that would plan and direct the armed struggle.
Under the Special Affairs programme, Cde Mphoko along with Albert Nxele, Walter Mbambo and Sam Dumaza Mpofu, were selected by ZAPU leader Cde Joshua Nkomo to go for military training.
On April 4, 1964, while awaiting a retrial, Cde Mphoko left Zimbabwe as part of a group of six and received military training in the Soviet Union between May 1964 and February 1965.
In March 1965, he created the first military command structure, the Military Planning Committee, to plan and direct the armed struggle.
He was one of the first seven commanders who were commissioned by the revolution and by the political leadership to recruit, train, and command Zimbabweans into a revolution for the liberation of Zimbabwe.
In 1967, he became a member of the Joint Military Command in charge of logistics and supply in the ANC/ZAPU Alliance.
He commanded the Joint Military rehearsals for the Wankie operations at Dan Nang base, Luthuli Camp, which included South African freedom fighters Joe Modise and Chris Hani who was the Commander of the Detachment, and others.
In 1967 and 1968, he operated in Sipolilo (now Guruve) together with Modise, Abraham Nkiwane, Dumiso Dabengwa and others.
In 1976, he was a delegate at the formation of the Patriotic Front, in Maputo, Mozambique, with JZ Moyo, George Silundika and Joseph Msika.
In 1977, Cde Mphoko attended the OAU Adhoc Committee of Foreign Ministers in Luanda Angola with Cdes Joseph Msika, and George Silundika.
In 1979, he attended the Lancaster House peace talks as a military delegate.
VP Mphoko was in 1980 appointed as a Special Envoy for Dr Joshua Nkomo, to President Samora Machel of Mozambique, King Sobhuza II of Swaziland, Chief Leabuwa Jonathan of Lesotho, President Fidel Castro of Cuba, and Eric Honneker of the German Democratic Republic.
He served in the sub-committee that designed the national flag of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
In 1981, Cde Mphoko worked in the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare as Deputy Director for Demobilisation.
In 1987, he was transferred to the diplomatic service and, with junior stints in Mozambique as Liaison Officer and in 1996 appointed Liaison Officer to Austria, also covering the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organisation.
Between 1996 and 1999, VP-elect Mphoko did advanced courses in semen collection, artificial insemination and embryo transfer at the Institute of Genetics, Austria.
In 2002, he was appointed Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Botswana, before becoming Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation. In 2010, he was appointed Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Africa.
On December 10, 2014, he was appointed Vice President by the late former President Mugabe alongside President MnangagwaThe late former President assigned Cde Mphoko the ministerial portfolio of National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation.
He was sworn in as Vice-President on December 12, 2014.
On July 6, 2015, he assigned Cde Mphoko the responsibility for coordination and implementation of policy.
He ceased to be Vice President in November 2017 when the Second Republic was ushered into power.
Cde Mphoko is survived by his wife Luaurinda, a Mozambican national, and they had three children together – daughters Sikhumbuzo, Siduduzo and son, Siqokoqela.
He was also blessed with three grandchildren.
Online Reporter