Online Reporter
Andile Tshuma and Farirai Machivenyika
President Mnangagwa is today expected to lead proceedings at the burial of decorated military officer and national hero, Brigadier‑General (Retired) Samuel Mpabanga, at the National Heroes Acre in Harare.
Brig‑Gen Mpabanga died in Gwanda last week on Monday.
He was 69.
He leaves behind a legacy of loyalty and dedication to national service, carved from the days of the liberation struggle and through decades of service after Independence.
A sombre atmosphere gripped Khumalo Barracks in Bulawayo yesterday, where scores of mourners gathered to pay their last respects to the national hero.
Family members, liberation war comrades, members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, senior Government officials, ZANU PF representatives and members of the public thronged the barracks, singing liberation songs and offering prayers as they honoured the late commander.
Earlier, a mass led by the Roman Catholic Church was held at Doves Funeral Parlour in Bulawayo, where speakers described Brig‑Gen Mpabanga as a disciplined cadre, a patriot and a man of peace who dedicated his life to serving the nation with distinction.
Following the church service, the hero’s body was transferred to Khumalo Barracks and airlifted to Harare, where it lay in state ahead of today’s burial ceremony.
The body arrived at Charles Gumbo Barracks in the afternoon, accompanied by family members and ZDF personnel.
Today, proceedings are expected to begin in the morning, with mourners set to be seated by 7am.
Yesterday, liberation war comrades recalled how Brig‑Gen Mpabanga answered the call to join the armed struggle in 1976 after mobilisation by the late Cde Jane Ngwenya.
He later underwent military training at Mlungushi Camp in Zambia.
A former colleague, Retired Colonel Marshal Mpofu, said the hero was among the young men and women who sacrificed their youth for the country’s independence.
Family members said Brig‑Gen Mpabanga came from a family of freedom fighters, with several siblings and cousins crossing the border together to join the liberation struggle — some of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice.
After Independence, Brig‑Gen Mpabanga joined the Zimbabwe National Army, where he served for more than four decades, rising through the ranks with distinction before retiring on August 31, 2022.
His younger brother, Cde Lot Mpabanga, described him as a mentor and a pillar of strength within the family.
“We have lost a great man and for me, I have lost a mentor. He was peaceful, disciplined and principled.
“Even as children, he promoted unity and respect,” he said.
Brig‑Gen Mpabanga died at Gwanda Provincial Hospital last Monday after a long illness.
President Mnangagwa conferred national hero status on him on Saturday in recognition of his contributions before and after Independence.
He was the elder brother of the late Major‑General (Retired) Sikhulile Simpson Mpabanga Nyathi, who died in 2022.
Brig‑Gen Mpabanga — whose Chimurenga name was Moffat Nkomo — was born on August 31, 1956, in Gwanda. He attended Mapate Primary School and Beitbridge Primary School from 1963 to 1970, before proceeding to Manama Mission (1971–1972) and Matobo Secondary School from 1973 to 1974.
He crossed the border to join the liberation struggle as a ZPRA cadre in 1977 and briefly stayed at Mapate before crossing the Shashe River with colleagues en route to Selibe Phikwe in Botswana.
Brig‑Gen Mpabanga stayed at Selibe Phikwe Prison for three months with his uncle, the late Raphel Mpabanga, Martin Kukubele and the late Sibusiso Mpabanga.
He began military training in late 1977 at Mulungushi under the Zambian Army, with attachments from ZPRA instructors including the late Cephas Khupe and the late Gedi Dube.
From 1978 to 1979, he underwent further military training in Odessa, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union).
Brig‑Gen Mpabanga joined the Zimbabwe National Army on July 12, 1980, and retired from active service on August 31, 2022.
He also served as a defence attaché at Zimbabwe’s Embassy in Zambia between 2016 and 2022. While in Zambia, he oversaw the management and upkeep of liberation war shrines where many of the country’s heroes and heroines are buried.
Brig‑Gen Mpabanga is survived by his wife and three children.
Peter Tanyanyiwa