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Pamela Shumba Bulawayo Bureau
FORMER Home Affairs Deputy Minister and Mangwe MP Cde Obedingwa Mguni, who died on Tuesday has been declared a liberation war hero and will be buried at his homestead tomorrow. Cde Mguni (57), who was also the Zanu-PF deputy chief whip and the party’s Matabeleland South provincial treasurer, died at West End Clinic in Harare after a short illness on Tuesday.
He succumbed to diabetes.
The legislator started coughing while attending Parliament and was rushed to hospital where he later died.
In a statement yesterday, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Cde Obert Mpofu confirmed that President Mnangagwa had conferred Cde Mguni a liberation war hero status.
“His Excellency, the President and First Secretary to Zanu-PF, Cde Mnangagwa has conferred a liberation war hero status to the late Cde Obedingwa Mguni who died on June 18, 2019,” said Cde Mpofu.
Cde Mguni’s daughter, Simphiwe, yesterday said her father will be buried at his homestead at Macingwane in Plumtree tomorrow.
Cde Mguni did his primary education at Matole and Silima primary schools in Plumtree and Regina Mundi.
He went to Empandeni Secondary School in Plumtree and Matope as well as Mkushi in Zambia.
Cde Mguni joined the liberation struggle at the age of 15.
In 1976, he went to Zambia and completed his lower sixth at Mkushi College before going to Libya for military training.
In 1980, he left army integration and joined teaching until 1986 before he went to South Africa where he worked for the South African government. In 2011 he was back in the country and served as Zanu-PF chairman for Marula Ward. In 2013 he sponsored the Zanu-PF revival drive and was elected Member of Parliament for Mangwe constituency in 2013.
During that year, Cde Mguni was also the party’s secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education in Matabeleland South province.
He had been a businessman since 2005. Cde Mguni leaves behind his wife Caroline, a son Bongani and a daughter Simphiwe.
Online Reporter