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Nqobile Tshili, Bulawayo Bureau
FORMER Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) High Command member and pioneer liberation fighter, General (Retired) Cde Makhethi Ndebele, known by his pseudonym Cde Jack Mpofu, has been declared a national hero.
Cde Mpofu died last Saturday at his home in Cowdray Park, Bulawayo at the age of 82.
He is revered for being one of the pioneer combatants to join the armed struggle and was in 1967 among the first 200 cadres to join the war of liberation. Rising through the ranks, he became a military instructor and trained thousands of guerrilla fighters.
Zanu PF Secretary-General Dr Obert Mpofu yesterday visited Cde Ndebele’s home in Cowdray Park, Bulawayo to announce the news about his declaration as a national hero.
He explained that while the usual procedure involves consulting all Politburo members for their opinion on the matter, he did not make the call in Cde Mpofu’s case.
“I realised that some people would have said they didn’t know him. I even read the well-written biography that Bulawayo province had prepared recommending his national hero status, but I felt the information was inadequate. So, I went to the President and revealed that I personally knew him. He was someone I knew when we were very young. I was 17, and he was older than us. He was proud of his country until his death, a country that he fought for,” said Dr Mpofu.
“He didn’t brag about his role in liberating the country. He joined the armed struggle before many even imagined that a liberation war could be fought. Today, I have been sent by the President to deliver a message to the family, a message that we could not delegate to anyone.”
Dr Mpofu recounted meeting Cde Mpofu in 1969 when he was already a commander, describing him as one of the best snipers.
“I met him at DK in the Western Front, coming from the Eastern Front. Many people don’t know this; only a few were there, including Tshinga Dube, Phelekezela Mphoko, and Abel Mazinyane. This was in 1969, where I met Makhethi (Cde Mpofu), Matshimini, and Cde Sharpshoot at DK, where I joined reconnaissance. He was already our commander. He was a sniper, and I was also a sniper. I’m still a good one. He is part of the ZIPRA Commanders who revived ZIPRA,” he said.
After providing a brief history, he called Zanu-PF provincial chairman Cde Jabulani Sibanda to read the citation letter on Cde Mpofu’s national hero declaration.
“His Excellency the President and First Secretary of Zanu PF Cde Dr E.D Mnangagwa has conferred national hero status to the late Gen Rtd Makhethi Ndebele, who died on 28 July 2024,” read the letter.
He announced that Cde Mpofu will be buried at the National Heroes Acre on a date to be advised. Following the National Hero status conferment, the State will take over all burial arrangements for Cde Mpofu.
Cde Mpofu was part of the first 200 guerrilla fighters to join the armed struggle after Zapu and Zanu successfully lobbied the Organisation of African Unity to train its members in preparation for the armed struggle in 1967. He trained at Morogoro, Tanzania, under the command of Albert Nxele, with Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Russia, Cde Ambrose Mutinhiri, as the chief of staff.
Cde Mpofu was present when ZIPRA Commander Gen Nikita Mangena was killed in a landmine explosion following an ambush by Rhodesian forces near Deka Drum in the Zambezi Valley on June 28, 1978. He also suffered an injury he would carry for the rest of his life.
Cde Jack Mpofu was born on June 6, 1942, under Chief Tshitshi’s area in Mangwe District in Matabeleland South Province. He was involved in military operations in areas including Victoria Falls in 1972. Some of the members who were part of the operation included the late Roger Matshimini Ncube and now Brig-Gen (Rtd) Mazinyane.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, and Politburo member Elifasi Mashaba were among the mourners gathered at the Mpofu residence.
Online Reporter