adminProsper Ndlovu Acting News Editor
THE family of the late Vice-President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo yesterday expressed excitement at the honours bestowed on their father following the commissioning of three projects under his name in Bulawayo.President Mugabe officiated at the unveiling of Dr Nkomo’s statue, which coincided with the renaming of Main Street after the veteran nationalist icon and the commissioning of the new Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport.
In her remarks Dr Nkomo’s daughter Thandiwe Nkomo-Ibrahim said the family was proud of their father and humbled by the respect and honour accorded him by the entire nation.
“We have all waited a long time to witness this great day, but I am sure we can all sit here today and agree that the long wait has been well worth it,” she said.
Nkomo-Ibrahim added: “As a family we sincerely express our gratitude to everyone who was involved in turning this dream into reality.”
The Nkomo family paid tribute to President Mugabe for leading the nation to honour Dr Nkomo and shower praises on his legacy.
The eloquent Nkomo-Ibrahim said the three projects would remain as symbols of Zimbabwe’s freedom and sovereignty which came through a bloody struggle.
“Today Big Josh is loudly proclaiming to the world, saying ‘move over John Cecil Rhodes’, this is the land of our ancestors and I, Big Josh, will stand guard over it,” she said adding: “Welcome home wena okaNyongolo, now you can symbolically live among us…Welcome Mafukufuku omuhle,” she said as the crowd cheered.
Dr Nkomo’s younger brother, Edward, delivered an emotional speech in which he chronicled his brother’s biography and how he joined politics in the 1950’s and continued working for the nation until his death in July, 1, 1999. He said the family was happy that after Dr Nkomo was declared a national hero in 1999, government saw it fit to champion projects in honour of his legacy.
“Today, your Excellency, you have endowed on him a triple recognition and honour, through the renaming after him of the airport and the former Main Street,” said Nkomo.
Dr Nkomo’s son, Sibangilizwe Nkomo said the family was proud that the country had continued to honour his father’s memory. “By this honour, you have inscribed with indelible ink, the memory of Joshua Nkomo, not only in Zimbabwe, but for the whole world,” he said.
He thanked people in Bulawayo for always commemorating 1 July, the day Dr Nkomo died, as an unofficial holiday. He ended with a famous quote from one of Dr Nkomo’s speeches; “Having defeated the evil as a people, it is our duty to rebuild Zimbabwe as one people.
The struggle for economic independence can indeed be more difficult than the struggle for political independence. It needs thorough planning, controlled discipline, unity of purpose and above all, direction and hard work.”
Online Reporter