Online Reporter
Masimba Mavaza
Zimbabwe has lost a son of the soil. Ambassador Victor Matemadanda passed away on the night of 21 June 2026 at Parirenyatwa Hospital. Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana confirmed the passing. The nation bows its head.
Born on March 3, 1960 in Gokwe, Cde Matemadanda did not wait for freedom to be handed to him.
At the age of 13, in 1973 he joined Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National union now Zanu PF.
He marched into the liberation war while others of his age still considered themselves children.
He fought so that Zimbabwe would be born. He carried a rifle for the flag and carried the flag in his heart for the rest of his life.
When the war ended, the struggle continued. Cde Matemadanda became secretary general of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association and later National Political Commissar of ZANU PF.
He was the voice that reminded us: we fought for a united Zimbabwe and unity must be guarded with courage.
He stood firm when the nation stood at crossroads.
“As war veterans, we fought to liberate the country and we want to give direction now,” he declared.
He gave direction. He defended the revolution. He believed that political opponents are not enemies — that democracy grows when we debate without fear.
The State recognised his service. The people of Gokwe Central elected him Member of Parliament in 2018. He served as Deputy Minister of Defence.
In 2021 President Mnangagwa appointed him Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique and the Kingdom of Eswatini.
He represented President Mnangagwa and the people of Zimbabwe with distinction, dignity and devotion across borders.
A freedom fighter with a scholar’s pen, he earned his degree from University of South Africa (UNISA) and in 2022 graduated with a Doctorate in Business Administration from the African Leadership Institute.
He proved that the spirit of the bush war and the discipline of learning walk hand in hand.
Cde Matemadanda was a husband. A father to Terrence. A patriot without compromise, brave, unflinching and loyal to Zimbabwe.
Cde Matemadanda’s watch has ended. The guns he once carried are silent. But the work he began in 1973 lives on.
It lives in every child who learns in peace because he fought.
It lives in every diplomat who stands tall because he served. It lives in every Zimbabwean who refuses to surrender our sovereignty.
To President Mnangagwa, to the Government of Zimbabwe, to his family, friends, comrades, and to the nation: we share in your grief. We share also in his resolve.
Rest in power, Ambassador. Rest in peace, Comrade. Rest in glory, Patriot.
The revolution continues. Hamba Kahle, Cde Matemadanda.
