Online Reporter
Mukudzei Chingwere in Hwedza
VICE-PRESIDENT Dr Constantino Chiwenga has implored citizens to embrace love, unity and harmony, saying these values are essential for strong families, peaceful communities and a lasting legacy.
He was speaking yesterday at a memorial service for his late mother, Gogo Veronica “Chivaraidze” Chiwenga, held at his rural home in Hwedza.
He used the occasion to honour his mother’s life and the values she instilled in her family, while highlighting the importance of familyhood and unity in society.
Among those who attended the memorial service were Mashonaland East Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and
Devolution Advocate Itayi Ndudzo, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona as well as senior Government and Zanu PF officials.
VP Chiwenga said the family was more than a place of belonging, describing it as the first school where children learn morals, respect, faith and responsibility.
He said love should guide relationships within families and communities.
“People should love one another. My mother was a loving person who loved everyone and that is how we were brought up,” said VP Chiwenga.
“Let’s live in love and harmony, and let us all live a good legacy. Love is what holds families together. Love helps societies remain peaceful and united even when faced with differences.
“Those roots shape not only our identity, but how we respond to life’s challenges. Unity is a social responsibility, built through how we treat one another.”
VP Chiwenga said his late mother’s teachings on love, discipline and respect had shaped the family and continued to
produce positive results.
“My mother’s teachings brought us well. For instance, all my sisters were married honourably and went on to build respectable families. This outcome was not by chance, but a clear reflection of the values she instilled in us – of love, discipline and respect – showing that the foundation she laid through her guidance continues to bear good results even today,” he said.
“It is, therefore, because of my mother’s teachings that we have lived to demonstrate those lessons in our own homes.”
VP Chiwenga said the same values that guided the family through the years continued to shape their relationships, particularly their commitment to faith, resilience and compassion.
He described his late mother as a woman whose kindness extended beyond her relatives she helped everyone she encountered.
The Vice-President also thanked his uncles and other family members for organising the memorial service, saying it demonstrated the love, unity and support within the family.
“I am humbled by my uncles and every member of my family who organised this memorial service.
“To all of you, I extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation for the love, unity and support you have shown,” he said.
VP Chiwenga encouraged people to preserve the legacies of their departed loved ones by upholding the values, lessons and good deeds they left behind.
“As we gather here today, I urge everyone to remember the legacies of our loved ones, those values, lessons and good deeds they left behind. Let us always make time, here and there, to reflect on their lives, to speak about them with respect, and to honour their memory in our daily choices,” said VP Chiwenga.
“As part of remembrance, let us also care for their graves, keeping them clean and well attended, so that their spirits and their legacy remain honoured, not only today, but for generations to come.”
