‘Go well, son of the soil’

ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT, COMRADE RG MUGABE, AT THE BURIAL OF NATIONAL HERO BRIGADIER-GENERAL MISHECK TANYANYIWA AT THE NATIONAL HEROES’ ACRE IN HARARE ON DECEMBER 8, 2013.Amai Tanyanyiwa and the bereaved Tanyanyiwa family, Vice President Comrade Joice Mujuru, National Chairman Comrade Simon Khaya Moyo, President of the Senate Madam Edna Madzongwe, Speaker of the House of Assembly Comrade Jacob Mudenda, Chief Justice Honourable Godfrey Chidyausiku, Honourable Ministers here present, service chiefs, war veterans, detainees, restrictees and collaborators, Members of Parliament, His Worship the Mayor of the City of Harare, Members of the diplomatic corps, fellow mourners, ladies and gentlemen, comrades and friends.

It is with deep sorrow that we are yet again gathered here at the National Heroes Acre. We have come to mourn and give a befitting send off to one of our most determined, courageous and gallant sons of Zimbabwe, the late Brigadier-General Misheck Tanyanyiwa who dedicated his life to the liberation of this country.

Brigadier-General Tanyanyiwa’s untimely death on 26 November 2013, at Beijing United Family Hospital in the People’s Republic of China has robbed, not only the Tanyanyiwa family, but also our party Zanu-PF and the entire Zimbabwean nation, of a committed and illustrious family figure and national liberation hero.

May I, on behalf of Zanu-PF, Government and the people of Zimbabwe and, indeed on my own behalf, express my deepest condolences to Comrade Tanyanyiwa’s wife and children, and his entire family, over the untimely death of their beloved one.

May his family derive solace and comfort from the knowledge and our assurances that they are not alone during this deepest hour of grief.

The whole nation stands behind them, for the late Tanyanyiwa was no longer their son alone, but a son of the soil, was now our son together.

Who was Misheck Tanyanyiwa whose death has plunged the nation into mourning? Indeed, until his untimely death on 26 November to this day, the late Brigadier-General remained an unknown to many of us, with the exception of his family members, relatives and friends, his colleagues during the liberation struggle, his colleagues in the defence forces, and his army commanders.

These are the ones who, in the course of the past 12 days, have chronicled the story of his life which has been captured in the various Press reports.

The accounts describe how, like many young men and women of his age, Tanyanyiwa sacrificed his education to join others in the liberation struggle.

He resolved at a tender age, to lay down his life for the liberation of this country.  That was a very bold decision which only a few brave men and women were able to make, because it meant sacrificing everything else for the sake of redeeming the motherland from the foreign occupation.

As we now know, he lived true to the ideas of the liberation struggle, and lived to see his country free. Comrade Tanyanyiwa leaves a track record of achievements in many areas of his life as a freedom fighter, general officer of the army and diplomat par excellence.

As a freedom fighter, he distinguished himself as a military instructor and political commissar. His political astuteness, high intellect, his courageous behaviour during times of adversities, and loyalty and obedience, did not go unnoticed by his commanders.

He was elevated to leadership positions rising through ranks and right up to the position of his detachment commander by the time we attained our Independence.

After the attainment of our Independence, Tanyanyiwa was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army, starting at the lower ranks and rising to the rank of Brigadier-General.

As a veteran freedom fighter, his leadership skills were deployed during the delicate integration exercise of erstwhile warring armies, Zanla, Zipra and the Rhodesian forces, bringing these into a formidable national army for the newly Independent country of Zimbabwe.

He left an indelible footprint in the Special Forces commando battalion which he transformed from being an elitist white-dominated unit to a black-dominated unit that it is today.

He was at the helm of this battalion which scored great battle successes against the Renamo bandits and managed to secure the Beira Corridor for the safe passage of our goods and people between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

When civil war broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo, his diplomatic skills were put to the test as he negotiated successfully the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement among the DRC warring parties.

He also played a significant role in monitoring and enforcing the implementation of that agreement. For his illustrious military career before and after Independence, the late Brigadier-General was recognised by several awards including:

The Liberation Medal in recognition of his liberation credentials; The Independence Medal, for his contribution to the country’s Independence

Ten Years Service Medal, in recognition of his contribution during the integration of the ZANLA, ZIPRA and Rhodesian combatants into the Zimbabwe National Army;

Mozambique Campaign Medal, for his contribution to peace and stability in Mozambique; Democratic Republic of Congo Campaign Medal; and

The Grand Officer of Zimbabwe Order Merit Award, for the distinguished service of Zimbabwe and the sub-region. As we are all aware, the late Brigadier-General died in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China, where he was representing the country as our Defence Attaché.

His posting to China was not fortuitous, but was deliberate, as it was in recognition of his strong liberation credentials. He was posted to a very important country which had stood by us and supported us materially during our liberation struggle.

His posting to the East coincided with the Western challenges to our sovereignty and Independence through the illegal imposition of sanctions.

During his posting to China, relations between Zimbabwe and China grew from strength to strength in the many areas of co-operation between our two countries.

This is particularly evident in the military sphere between the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

Thanks to his efforts, joint military training programmes have been undertaken, which included the deployment of the People’s Liberation Army Instructors Training Team to Zimbabwe Staff College and the National Defence College.

The imposing National Defence College bears testimony to Comrade Tanyanyiwa’s diplomatic credentials and political acumen. He was a true patriot who put the country’s interests before his own, one who stuck resolutely to his principles to the very end.  He leaves us without any blemish.

His life speaks volumes about his many virtues which influenced him to make remarkable contributions to the liberation of our country, to safeguarding its sovereignty and Independence.

May his life inspire us, young and old, to defend the gains of our Independence, to protect our natural resources, to sacrifice our lives if necessary in order to ensure that this country which many a gallant son and daughter of Zimbabwe shed their blood for, will never, again fall into the hands of our enemies.

We should remain ever vigilant because the enemy will try to come back in many guises, even in the form of puppet political parties, created in the name of democracy to deceive the world about their real intentions.

Once bitten, twice shy. Zanu-PF cannot afford, at all to sit back and relax now that the July 31st harmonised elections have ushered Zanu-PF back into the driving seat.

The Party’s pledges to the electorate must be fulfilled, and now is the time, and not later. It is up to us to dedicate our lives to the realisation of the dreams of our fallen heroes, freedom from colonial bondage, defence of our national sovereignty, exploitation of our resources for the benefit of all Zimbabweans.

To Comrade Tanyanyiwa, we say thank you for a job well done, thank you for a life well lived.  You played your part during the liberation struggle, and played your part after Independence.

You did not disappoint us and you did not disappoint those who went ahead before you, some of whom lie here, where shortly we shall inter your body. Go well son of the soil.

May your soul rest in eternal peace.
I thank you.