Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika, [email protected]
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is today expected to preside over the burial of national hero, Brigadier-General (Retired) Jonathan Willie Hungwe, at the National Heroes Acre.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage confirmed the burial arrangements in a statement yesterday.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage wishes to inform the nation that the late national hero Brigadier-General (Rtd) Jonathan Willie Hungwe will be laid to rest on Friday, March 6, 2026, at the National Heroes Acre,” reads part of the statement.
“His Excellency, the President, Cde Mnangagwa, is expected to preside over the burial ceremony.”
Burial proceedings will commence at 7AM and the ministry has called on the public to attend in large numbers to give a befitting farewell to the illustrious son of the soil and freedom fighter.
A send-off ceremony was held in Brig-Gen Hungwe’s honour at his farm in Mwenezi.
Thereafter, his body was taken to Ngundu and Rutenga Business Centres for brief ceremonies before proceeding to Masvingo.
The body was then airlifted from Masvingo to Harare yesterday afternoon and taken to Charles Gumbo Barracks, where it lay in State overnight.
Brig-Gen Hungwe (Retd) (68), whose Chimurenga name was Vhito Masango Ferrari, collapsed and died at his farm last Friday.
Brig-Gen Hungwe (Retd) was born on April 13, 1958, in Mwenezi District.
He attended primary and secondary school in Chivi before completing his Ordinary Level at Cranborne Boys High School in Harare.
In January 1978, he joined the liberation struggle, arriving in Mozambique through Chikwekwete Base, where he began his military training. He was selected among cadres tasked with moving war materials to the front and was later moved to Chibawawa Camp under the Red Army battalion.
He was subsequently transferred to Dhondo and earmarked for further military training in Korea.
His group was later moved to Inhamhinga Training Base, where a special group of 300 was formed. Brig-Gen Hungwe specialised in anti-tank weapons, counting the late Major-General Trust Mugoba among his instructors.
He was later moved to Samakweza Camp. During the ceasefire period, Brig-Gen Hungwe was part of a special ZANLA reserve that remained in Mozambique as a contingency plan against possible Rhodesian surprise attacks.
He returned to Zimbabwe in July 1981 and reported to Chitungwiza Assembly Point before joining the Zimbabwe National Army. He was attested into the ZNA as a Warrant Officer Class 2 during integration on August 4, 1981.
Brig-Gen Hungwe completed numerous courses during his military career and rose through the ranks — from Warrant Officer Class 2 in 1981 to Brigadier-General in 2023.
He held various appointments, including serving as Deputy Director (Welfare Services) in the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, until he retired from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces in April 2024.
President Mnangagwa declared him a national hero in recognition of his service to the nation before and after independence.
He is survived by his wife, Susan and six children.
