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Patrick Chitumba Senior Reporter
THE body of the late Zanu-PF central committee member, Cde Lloyd Kotsho Dube, which would be buried tomorrow at the National Hero’s Acre, was last night taken to his Kumalo house in Bulawayo where it lay in state.The body will be taken to his rural Kezi home today and flown to Harare later in the day for burial.
President Mugabe announced the national hero’s status bestowed on the war veteran and former diplomat on Tuesday.
Cde Dube, 79, who died in his sleep at his house on Monday morning, becomes the sixth person to be declared a national hero this year following Cdes Nathan Shamuyarira, Harold Chirenda, Eliah Bandama, John Zingoni and Stanley Sakupwanya.
Announcing the national hero status bestowed on the war veteran on Tuesday, President Mugabe said Cde Dube was a true national hero.
“Indeed, only yesterday we bestowed national hero status on one of us who has served with us. We knew him in many ways. The ways; political, diplomatic, educational, etc, Kotsho Dube, we will be burying him on Sunday morning,” said the President.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi in a condolence message to the Dube family said:
“The entire staff in the ministry learnt with profound grief, shock and sadness of the passing on of Ambassador Lloyd Kotsho Dube on December 1, 2014, and wish to convey their heartfelt condolences to Mrs Dube and the children, as well as the entire Dube family, over this very sad and untimely loss.”
Cde Mumbengegwi in a joint message with his deputy Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa and permanent secretary, Ambassador Joey Bimha said Cde Dube was an accomplished educationist, banker and diplomat who served his country with dedication and patriotism.
He said Cde Dube was posted as ambassador to the Republic of France, UNESCO, Spain, Portugal and The Holy See from 1990 to 1996.
“He became Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 2002 to 2004 and was reassigned to the Republic of Zambia from 2004 to 2006. In all his assignments, Cde Dube represented and promoted Zimbabwe’s interests with tremendous dedication, loyalty and efficiency, providing purposeful leadership to teams that served under his direction,” said Cde Mumbengegwi.
He said his passing away is not only a loss to his family, friends and relatives, but to the people of Zimbabwe as well.
Today, his body will be flown to his rural home in Kezi before being flown to Harare later in the day.
Dube was born on June 25, 1935 in Malindi Village, Matobo District.
In 1945 to 1951 he attended Zamanyoni Primary School up to Standard Six before proceeding to Mzingwane Secondary School for Standard Six.
From 1955 to 1956 he joined the Joint Matriculation Board for Universities of South Africa and Thekwani Secondary School.
Between 1961 and 1963, he was an Articled Law Clerk at Coghlan, Welsh and Guest Attorneys.
He worked at the then Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1963 to 1965.
From 1965 to 1972, Cde Dube represented PF Zapu at the United Nations and South America with operations based in New York.
Later his mandate was extended to cover United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Western Europe with offices in London.
He was tasked with promoting Zimbabwe’s struggle, lobby and secure pro-freedom policy assets from governments, trade unions, students and the general public in countries of assignments.
In 1979, Dube moved to Lusaka, Zambia where he became the director of Information and Editor-in-Chief of PF Zapu publications.
He was a member of PF Zapu delegation to the Lancaster House Conference on Decolonisation of Zimbabwe from 1979 to 1980.
At Independence up to 1990, Cde Dube was a member of the national executive of PF Zapu and held the positions of secretary for publicity, secretary for education and national director of elections for PF Zapu in 1985.
Between 1988 and 1990, he was a member of the national integration committee tasked to implement the Unity Accord between Zanu-PF and PF Zapu.
In 1989 working as deputy secretary for administration, Cde Dube saw the ascension of the late First Lady Amai Sally Mugabe to the helm of the Women’s League.
In October 1990, he did a diplomatic course before an ambassadorial posting to France.
From 1990 to 1996, Cde Dube was ambassador extra-ordinary and plenipotentiary of Zimbabwe to France, Spain, Portugal, the Vatican and UNESCO.
In 1997 to 2000, he was a member of board of directors for the Zimbabwe Investment Centre and vice chairman of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
From 2002 to 2004 he was appointed ambassador to Nigeria before moving to Zambia in the same post from 2004 to 2006.
In 2012 to 2013 he was appointed chairman of the NRZ board of directors.
Dube is survived by wife, Agatha, three children and three grandchildren.
Mourners are gathered at house number 35 George Avenue, Kumalo.
Online Reporter