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Harare Bureau
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday said the late national hero Cde Eric Nyakudya Gwanzura’s legacy in the liberation of the country would forever be cherished.
Addressing mourners at the burial of Cde Gwanzura at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, President Mugabe said Cde Gwanzura played an illustrious role through trade unionism, financial support to liberation fighters and providing advice during the Geneva Conference and the Lancaster House talks.
Said President Mugabe: “We say, isu (us), the person, we bury here (at the National Heroes Acre) does not die, he fades away. Fighters don’t die. Soldiers don’t die, they fade away. He has done so many good things. Left behind so many good things.
“Those things will continue to talk about him. And we will continue to talk about his deeds. Youngsters who come after us and who are with us, we will all tell them about our leaders and their good deeds. It is those good deeds, the activities that they rendered which we will talk about.”
President Mugabe said Cde Gwanzura played a major role in pushing for better welfare of marginalised blacks who worked for the whites.
He said Cde Gwanzura, together with other trade unionists, realised that the ultimate goal of ensuring better welfare of the people could only be guaranteed through political independence of the black majority.
Cde Gwanzura and other trade unionists, President Mugabe said, initiated industrial action in Highfield against white oppression.
President Mugabe said part of Cde Gwanzura’s legacy was constructing Gwanzura Stadium that was named after him. He said Cde Gwanzura was humble businessman but effective through giving advice and financial support to the liberation struggle.
President Mugabe said Cde Gwanzura continued to work for the good of the party even after relocating to Mashonaland West. “He was naturally in our organs of the party. He played his part to the full. Never, never shaking. Never, making a mistake to step out of the order – out of the correct line. “No, he always followed the correct line. “Ndezvipi zvatinosungirwa kuita? Izvozvo, zvamunenge mati ndizvo zvinoitwa, ivo vanokwanisa kupa mazano kuti ‘hatingaite here nepapa kana nepapa kana nepapa?’ Tadaro tasungana, that’s it. Ndiwo mafambisiro aiitwa zvinhu. The youths vaichengetwa ndivava vakaita sanavaGwanzura vataiti ‘mopota muchitibatsiraka kumayouth awa isu hatina pokubata’. Ivo nema business avanga vaita vaikwanisa kutibatsira,” said President Mugabe.
Cde Gwanzura, President Mugabe said, was part of the delegation that went to the Geneva Conference in 1976 and the Lancaster House talks in 1979.
President Mugabe hailed the missionaries for playing a major in ensuring that black Zimbabweans were educated. If it was not for the church, he said, most blacks would not have been educated since the white Government did not want them to be conscientised that would have seen them challenging white oppression. The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces said Western countries wanted to use trade unions to effect regime change in the country through their support of Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions that he said the Zanu-PF Government introduced.
President Mugabe said Cde Gwanzura who was a polygamist, was of good character.
Cde Gwanzura’s first wife Jane Natsa died in 2006 and he is survived by two wives Evelyn Musimurimwa and Monica Makusha, 19 children and 65 grandchildren.
The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Forces also chided MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and other members from MDC formations for dating several women before dumping them.
“Hongu, he was a polygamist zvake. Vazhinji vedu mapolygamist. Kana wada kuenda divi iroro, well, do it and do it well. Don’t do it badly. Wototi watora uyu wasiya, watora uyu mwana wavaridzi wasiya, zvatiri kuona zvichiitwa neMDC. I don’t want to say who is doing it….. Hatidi izvozvo. Waroora, waroora,” he said.
Mr Tsvangirai customarily married Ms Elizabeth Macheka in May last year after dumping Ms Locardia Karimatsenga a few days after paying lobola.
The former Prime Minister was also linked with several women before settling on Ms Macheka, among them South African Ms Nozipho Regina Shilubane, Ms Aquillina Pamberi, Loreta Nyathi of Bulawayo whom he sired a son with, US-based Zimbabwean Dr Arikana Chihombori and his late wife’s sister Ms Leah Mhundwa.
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