Chronicle Editor
Bongani Ndlovu, Online Reporter
The Kalanga Language and Cultural Development Association (KLCDA) has mourned the death of veteran journalist, writer and war veteran Cde Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu, saying he was instrumental in lobbying for indigenous languages to be recognised in the constitution.
Cde Gwakuba Ndlovu (87) died last Friday in Bulawayo at a local hospital after a heart ailment.
The veteran nationalist, was a trustee in the KLCDA board. The chairperson, Mr Sotsha Moyo, in a statement, said Cde Gwakuba Ndlovu’s death has left a void.
“The Kalanga Language and Cultural Development Association (KLCDA) has learnt with shock and sadness of the death of one of its long-serving trustees, Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu, who passed on Friday last week,” said Mr Moyo.
“It is unfortunate that this great luminary of Kalanga history and culture has departed before we could extract enough from what he had to offer. It thus goes without saying that Ndlovu’s death has left a great void that will be difficult to fill amongst BaKalanga and other nations whose history he had on his fingertips.”
Mr Moyo said Cde Gwakuba Ndlovu’s contribution to KLCDA can be traced back from Zimbabwe’s colonial era although he did most of his work post-independence.
“KLCDA in its current form owes a lot to Ndlovu for his foundational role particularly through the Zimbabwe Indigenous Languages Promotion Association (ZILPA) which lobbied for the recognition of the country’s then marginalised indigenous languages. Through his work, the languages, TjiKalanga included, were eventually included in the country’s 2013 Constitution,” he said.
Mr Moyo said Cde Gwakuba Ndlovu was a moving encyclopaedia and a non-tribal nationalist.
“Ndlovu, who hails from Bulilima, Matabeleland South, will not only be remembered as a moving Kalanga encyclopaedia, but also as a selfless non-tribal nationalist whose role in the emancipation of humanity exceeded foundational and basic political freedoms. For many Zimbabweans, he contributed to self-identity which had been lost through several years of colonisation,” said Mr Moyo.
He described Cde Gwakuba Ndlovu as a very sociable person who shared his knowledge with everyone.
“Ndlovu was a sociable and accommodative listener who embraced divergent views from all and sundry. A historian par-excellence, he loved sharing his knowledge with everyone, especially the young, because he believed they had the potential of illuminating the future through fact-checked knowledge and information,” said Mr Moyo.
He said the organisation will immortalise Cde Gwakuba Ndlovu’s works through documentaries and books.
“KLCDA, through its successive leadership will certainly consider memorializing Ndlovu’s immense knowledge through making collections of what he pencilled and compiling it into books, documentaries and other storable sources of information,” said Mr Moyo.
Online Reporter