Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Correspondent
MATABELELND South Province was last week plunged into mourning after it lost three former freedom fighters who were all conferred with liberation war hero status.
Cdes Elliot Ngwabi, Eveline Maphosa and Danny Ndlovu who were all from Umzingwane District were laid to rest at their homesteads. Cde Ndlovu whose pseudo name was Makhathini was born on 2 February 1955 in Mtshabezi and joined the armed struggle in 1977. He succumbed to a heart problem on 14 August.
Cde Ngwabi, a pioneer freedom fighter with a well documented history such as being part of a unit that attacked Zidube Ranch in Kezi and was to later on embark on dramatic escape from Grey Prison (Bulawayo Prison) in January 1965 together with Cdes Moffat Hadebe, Clark Mpofu and Keyi Nkala was born on 15 October 1935 at Esiphezini in Umzingwane District.
He became politically active at a very tender age of 17. He joined the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress in Makokoba, Bulawayo. In 1963 Cde Ngwabi went for military training in Zambia and after that he was given the mission to attack Zidube Ranch in Kezi before his capture together with Cde Hadebe.
Speaking at the burial of Cde Ngwabi, chief mourner Mr Tafadzwa Makausi representing the District Development Coordinator expressed gratitude over the liberation hero status.
“Ladies and gentlemen allow me to express my profound gratitude to His Excellency President Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu-PF party for conferring Cde Eliot Ngwabi with a liberation war hero status. It is indeed humbling and an honour to the province. Cde Ngwabi was sent to various prisons during the struggle on one such occasion he met fellow comrade from Zanla at Khami who included President Mnangagwa.
After independence he formed a cooperative in Nkulumane called Sekusile referring to the birth of new Zimbabwe whose objective was to empower those that had participated in the liberation struggle economically,” said Mr Makausi. — @nyeve14
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