Online Reporter
The Herald, 1 July 1989
FORMER Zanla commander and veteran politician, Senator William Ndangana, was yesterday buried at the National Heroes’ Acre in Harare with full military honours.
Many people from throughout the country thronged Heroes’ Acre to see the former Zanla commander who died in a car accident on Tuesday laid to rest.
President Mugabe, Vice-President Muzenda, the Senior Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Bernard Chidzero, and other Government ministers and officials joined the mourners to witness the burial.
Cde Ndangana was declared a national hero for spending his life fighting for the freedom and independence of the masses of Zimbabwe. The gun carriage with the body of Cde Ndangana left his house in Highlands soon after 7.30 am. The funeral cortege was joined by President Mugabe and Vice-President Muzenda on its way to Heroes’ Acre.
Senior Government officials including Zanu (PF) Central Committee members, service chiefs and the Mayor of Harare, Councillor Jabulani Thembani, began arriving at Heroes’ Acre at 8 am.
The funeral cortege arrive at 8:30am and the bearer party from the Presidential Guard Battalion removed the coffin from the carriage and placed it in front of the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier.
Prayers were then said before a family spokesman, Cde Peter Ndangana, addressed the mourners. He described the late Cde Ndangana as a brave and dedicated man.
Addressing mourners, President Mugabe said Cde Ndangana’s car collided with an army truck and was rendered a wreck, giving the daring, intrepid brave and courageous revolutionary hero no chance of survival. He had survived many a time in the struggle when the enemy had sought to eliminate him.
Lessons for today
- Cde Ndangana is recognised as a national hero because he dedicated his life to the liberation struggle. Our country values and remembers individuals who commit themselves to collective freedom and national development.
- Courage and resilience define true leadership. He is described as “daring, intrepid, brave and courageous”, and someone who survived many attempts on his life during the struggle. Leaders, government officials, and citizens from across the country gathered to honour him.
- Despite dying in a car accident, his legacy in the liberation struggle earned him a hero’s burial with full military honours. One’s lifetime contributions matter more than the circumstances of death.
- The passage emphasizes service, courage, unity, and legacy, teaching that a life devoted to the good of others earns lasting respect and remembrance.
