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Mukudzei Chingwere, Herald Reporter
FORMER Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, who died in India last Friday, was a giant of the liberation struggle whose contribution to the country’s independence is a legacy too bold to be forgotten or erased, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.
The VP said this in a condolence message to the Mphoko family.
VP Chiwenga said former VP Mphoko, whose nom de guerre was Cde Report, became actively involved in the country’s liberation movement at a tender age in the 1960s.
He said he was one of the first youths to be dispatched for military training in the then Soviet Union in 1964, along with Comrades Ackim Ndlovu, Ambrose Mutinhiri, and Charles Chikerema.
“In the late Comrade Report Phelekezela Mphoko, we have lost one of the few surviving renowned commanders from the former Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), indeed we have lost a resolute giant of the liberation struggle whose immense contribution to our independence is a legacy too bold to be forgotten or erased,” said VP Chiwenga.
“To the bereaved Mphoko family, his spouse, the children and the nation at large, may we all derive solace in the knowledge that his selfless contributions to his country and people will continue to inspire us and the future generations”
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VP Chiwenga said he first met Cde Mphoko in 1973 in Zambia.
“I immediately sensed that I was in the presence of one of the pioneering stalwarts of the liberation struggle. Cde Mphoko was part of the delegation that played a pivotal role in securing terms of Zimbabwe’s Independence during the 1979 Lancaster House Conference,” he said.
The former Vice President has since been declared a national hero after a unanimous decision by the ruling Zanu PF party Politburo.
VP Chiwenga said Cde Mphoko was appointed chief of logistics in the first military command of ZAPU in 1965 and was instrumental in planning and executing the Wankie-Sipolilo military operations.
He said in 1971, the national hero became a member of the Joint Military Command which was a joint ZIPRA/ZANLA High Command formed in Mbeya, Tanzania.
VP Chiwenga said in 1975, he was appointed chief of logistics of the Zimbabwe People’s Army (ZIPA), a joint ZIPRA/ZANLA Force.
“In 1976, he became Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) representative in Maputo, a post he held until Zimbabwe’s Independence in 1980. At Independence, he was appointed to the Demobilisation Board for ex-combatants and later held various Government positions including ambassadorial roles”.
VP Chiwenga said in his diplomatic career since 1987, Cde Mphoko served with diligence as Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique, Austria, Botswana, Russia, and South Africa.
“Due to his diligence and acumen, he was appointed Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe in 2014, a position that he held until 2017”.
VP Chiwenga said in the VP role, Cde Mphoko was in charge of the National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation portfolio where he worked to promote national peace, reconciliation, and equitable development in the country.
“Our late former Vice President was also a successful businessman and farmer, majoring in cattle ranching. May His Dear Soul Rest in Eternal Peace. Ngava zorore murugare. Lala ngokuthula,” he said.
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