admin
buried at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare.
The late Mukonoweshuro, who was also MDC-T national executive member, succumbed to a heart complication.
President Mugabe was represented at the burial by Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development Minister Olivia Muchena who laid wreaths on behalf of the President.
Also present were Youth Development, Indeginisation and Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and Tourism and Hospitality Minister Walter Muzembi who laid wreaths on behalf of Vice
Presidents Joice Mujuru and John Nkomo respectively.
Deputy Chief Secretary in the office of the President and Cabinet Retired Colonel Christian Katsande and permanent secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Mrs Constance Chigwamba, also attended the burial.
Addressing mourners, the MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, said losing one of his chief advisors (Mukonoweshuro) was a bitter pill to swallow.
He said he was the most beneficiary of Minister Mukonoweshuro’s wisdom.
“Vamwe venyu munomboziva kuti chief advisor zvinomborevei? Munozongoti Tsvangirai akangwara izvo husiku ndinenge ndadaidzwa naEliphas ondipa mazano. Hungwaru hwacho maideas evamwe and I was the beneficiary of those ideas.
“The original ideas will be from people like Mukonoweshuro who always gave us guidance in whatever we did. I don’t know how I am going to close that gap,” he said. PM Tsvangirai described Minister Mukonoweshuro as a “humble” man who always preferred dialogue in political differences.
He castigated senior party leadership for being power hungry, urging them to wait for their turn.
“I sent him as a key negotiator to the first negotiations we had with Zanu-PF in 2004. Though this failed, he was the one who always encouraged us to engage other parties in dialogue for the development of the country.
“When the party split in 2005, he told us that what was needed was dialogue. He was a humble man whom you could not silence when it comes to disagreements in the party, but at the end of the day we would talk it over. He had unwavering support and loyalty,” he said.
Mr Tsvangirai lambasted party members who were after his post, adding that in the meantime he was in charge. MDC-T national executive member, Mr Elias Mudzuri, who helped in the repatriation of the body back home, said Minister Mukonoweshuro made a significant contribution to the country’s education sector.
He expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the consulate general’s office in South Africa for helping in the repatriation of the body.
“I went to South Africa after he send me a message and I phoned him but he was not talking. Unfortunately, I arrived at the hospital the morning he died. But I thank the embassy a lot for making life easier but the country has lost a researcher and educator.
“His great works in the party and the Government will be missed,” he said.
MDC-T Gutu District chairman, Mr Jameson Makovere, said Minister Mukonoweshuro was a peace loving man.
“We are now orphans in the district without him. He was a father to all ages and we worked closely with him especially on issues that had to do with Gutu South constituency,” he said.
Minister Kasukuwere, who used to sit next to Minister Mukonoweshuro in Cabinet, said the country had lost a “mature politician and an outstanding academic.”
“It is clear his approach to things was just exemplary. This is a great loss to the country and his contribution and debates were all about building that’s the reason why we are here as party to convey our condolences to the Mukonoweshuro family and our colleagues in Government,” he said. Minister Mukonoweshuro was born on June 20, 1953 in Gutu. He did his primary education at Shumba
Primary School and went to Zimuto High School for secondary education.
He did his A Level at Thekwane High School before enrolling at the University of Zimbabwe for a degree in political science.
Minister Mukonoweshuro got a scholarship to study in Sierra Leone and furthered his studies in the United Kingdom. Zambia, Sierra Leone and Tanzania are some of the countries he served as a research fellow.He became a lecturer and a Dean of Social Studies at the University of Zimbabwe.
The late Mukonoweshuro joined the MDC in 1999 where he was secretary for international affairs and was a special adviser to Mr Tsvangirai.
In 2008, he became MP for Gutu South and was subsequently appointed Minister of Public Service in the inclusive Government.
Online Reporter