Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]
CDE Hirrely Dube, a liberation war heroine and widow of former Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZPRA) High Command member and national hero Cde Makhethi Ndebele, whose Chimurenga/Umvukela name was Cde Jack Mpofu, has died.
She was 63.
Cde Dube died on Tuesday at Mpilo Central Hospital after a period of illness.
In a statement, Zanu PF provincial chairman for Bulawayo, Cde Jabulani Sibanda, confirmed the death, saying burial will be on Monday at her rural home in Matshetsheni Village under Chief Masuku in Gwanda District.
“Cde Hirrely Dube will be laid to rest at Matshetsheni Village in Gwanda on July 20, 2026. She was one of the women who helped the needy people including war veterans and orphans as she was a farmer. She used to donate food and clothes to the needy,” he said.
Born on September 1, 1963, in Gwanda District, Cde Dube attended Glass Block 1 Primary School in Matabeleland South before becoming involved in the liberation struggle.
During the war of liberation, she served as a collaborator under Zapu, providing food, clothing and other logistical support to ZPRA freedom fighters operating in the Matshetsheni area, at a time when many civilians risked their lives to sustain the armed struggle.
After Zimbabwe attained Independence in 1980, she relocated to Bulawayo where she became a youth member of Zanu- PF in Luveve.
Beyond her liberation war contribution, Cde Dube was a farmer known in her community for supporting orphans and other vulnerable groups through donations and charitable work.
Her death comes less than two years after the passing of her husband, National Hero Cde Makhethi Ndebele, who was laid to rest at the National Heroes Acre on August 5, 2024.
She is survived by three children and 10 grandchildren
Cde Dube’s husband, Cde Ndebele, born on June 6, 1942, in Chief Tshitshi’s area of Mangwe District, was among the pioneering cadres of the armed liberation struggle. He attended Tshitshi Primary School before continuing his education at Embakwe Mission.
After working briefly as a pegger for the then Rhodesian Government, he left for South Africa before joining the liberation struggle.
He was among the first 200 guerrilla fighters selected for military training after Zapu and Zanu successfully lobbied the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1967 to support the training of Zimbabwean freedom fighters.
Cde Ndebele underwent military training at Morogoro, Tanzania, under the command of Cde Albert Nxele, with Zimbabwe’s former Ambassador to Russia, Cde Ambrose Mutinhiri, serving as chief of staff.
He later rose through the ranks to become a member of the ZPRA High Command and was among the senior commanders present when ZPRA Commander General Alfred Nikita Mangena was killed in a landmine explosion following a Rhodesian forces ambush near Kabanga Mission in Zambia on June 28, 1978.
His contribution to the liberation struggle earned him national hero status following his death.
