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Zimbabwe was on Wednesday plunged into mourning again following the death of national hero Cde Nathan Shamuyarira. Cde Shamuyarira’s death comes hardly a month after the death of another national hero, Brigadier-General John Zingoni. Former Politburo member and ex- cabinet Minister, Cde Shamuyarira, 85, died at West End Hospital in Harare after a long illness. Cde Shamuyarira left government in 2000 saying he wanted to concentrate on his work in Zanu-PF where he was secretary for information and publicity. He left active politics in 2010 to dedicate time to putting together a book on Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle, more specifically, a memoir on President Mugabe’s central role in the second Chimurenga.
Cde Shamuyarira who was editor-in-chief of African Newspapers from 1959 to 1962 left journalism to join Zapu which was then recruiting African intellectuals to spearhead the struggle for independence. Zapu was unfortunately banned the same year. In 1963 Cde Shamuyarira and other nationalists broke away from ZAPU to form ZANU.
In 1970, he and Cde James Chikerema engaged in deliberations on unifying ZANU and ZAPU in Lusaka, Zambia, resulting in him resigning his lectureship at the University of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania, to take up the post of treasurer for the new Front For the Liberation of Zimbabwe (FROLIZI) in 1971.
In his condolence message, the President, Cde Mugabe said Cde Shamuyarira distinguished himself professionally and politically as exemplified by some of his rare achievements such as acquiring a doctorate before the country’s independence in 1980. “In mourning Cde Shamuyarira, my mind casts to high points of his professional and political career, both of which dovetail with important moments in the history and times of our country,” said Cde Mugabe.
Cde Shamuyarira excelled academically and acquired a doctorate from Princeton University, the United States, in 1967. Cde Mugabe said after FROLIZI, he personally persuaded Cde Shamuyarira to join ZANU and he subsequently relocated to Mozambique where he alongside other leading cadres, he directed the propaganda thrust of the armed struggle.
At independence Cde Shamuyarira was appointed Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications. He thereafter held various portfolios including that of Foreign Affairs before his retirement from government in 2000. Today as Zimbabwe mourns one of its gallant sons that contributed immensely to the liberation struggle, it is time to take stock of the country’s achievements during the last three decades of our independence.
Cde Shamuyarira is among the many Zimbabweans who left the comfort brought about by their academic and professional achievements to join the liberation struggle. The former Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity who will be buried today at the National Heroes Acre, left a legacy of hard work, commitment to achieving goals and patriotism.
Zimbabwe is poorer without him but what is comforting is that as a nation we are celebrating his many achievements that helped shape Zimbabwe’s history. The freedom that we are enjoying today would not have come had heroes like Cde Shamuyarira not sacrificed their lives to fight colonialism. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter