Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve
Victoria Falls Reporter
VICTORIA Falls and Hwange communities have been plunged into mourning following the death of one of the first black mayors and a renowned liberation war hero, Cde Robert Moses Mpofu, who died on Friday.
He was 79.
Cde Mpofu collapsed and died while alone at his homestead in Jabula Village, under Chief Shana in Jambezi, leaving behind a legacy of unwavering dedication to the country.
His younger brother, Dr Obert Moses Mpofu, who is ZANU PF secretary-general, confirmed the tragic news and revealed that President Mnangagwa had conferred Liberation War Hero status on the late stalwart.
He will be buried at his rural home today.
Born on October 13, 1945, Cde Robert Moses Mpofu became involved in the struggle for independence at a very young age.
He crossed into Zambia in 1961, where he quickly immersed himself in political activism. Using his own resources, including cattle, he fed freedom fighters and risked his life transporting recruits from Botswana to Zambia under perilous conditions.
He rose through the ranks to become the ZAPU Organising Secretary in Zambia, operating from an office near Butoha Hospital.
His effectiveness made him a top target of the Rhodesian regime, forcing him to remain in exile, where he married and started a family.
Perhaps most remarkable was his role in mobilising not only strangers but his own family to join the struggle.
Dr Obert Mpofu emotionally recounted how his elder brother was instrumental in recruiting all 11 of his siblings into the liberation movement.
“I am the third born from him. After him, there is my sister, then myself and the others. He grew up a very intelligent person and started his school here in Victoria Falls, and then in 1962, he left the country to go to Zambia, where he immediately got involved with the politics of the day,” he said.
“He served as a secretary for ZAPU for quite some time until I joined him in 1967 in Zambia. He was doing ZAPU politics in Zambia with many other comrades who are late and some who are living.
“He encouraged me to go and join the struggle. I was about 16 when I joined the struggle while he worked in Zambia and was a political activist. He worked for the national museums as an administrator but was a very active organiser of ZAPU together with others,” said Cde Mpofu.
“In Zambia, he was doing the recruitment of cadres, doing the mobilisation and doing logistics, supplying material support to ZAPU while they were also doing the recruitment of cadres.
“So, in our family, you know, he recruited all his young brothers, including myself, to join the war, and some are around. They will be at the funeral tomorrow.
“I think there are about 11 of us from the family. But I was the first one to join after 1967. So, he was quite an active person, and he remained like that until independence. During some of these political activities, he was helping people cross the river to Zambia. After independence, he became a councillor together with my wife and later became a mayor for Victoria Falls,” said Cde Mpofu.
His son, Sifiso Mpofu, also served as the Mayor of Victoria Falls from 2013-2018.
After independence, Cde Mpofu continued serving his community and country, working for the Victoria Falls Town Council until retirement and remaining active in politics.
At the time of his death, he was the District Political Commissar for Nemananga District in Hwange East Constituency.
Cde Robert Moses Mpofu was not only a hero but also a unifying figure whose life was a testament to courage, intelligence, and selflessness.
His contributions, both during and after the war, have left an indelible mark on Zimbabwe’s history.
