Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA will preside over the burial of national hero Brigadier-General (Retired) Mpandasekwa Mzheri at the National Heroes Acre tomorrow.
A church service will be conducted at the family home in Helensvale, Harare, today before the body is taken to Charles Gumbo Barracks, where it will lie in state ahead of burial.
Yesterday, the body was airlifted to his rural home at Vutika Secondary School, under Chief Maziofa, in Mberengwa district, where thousands of relatives and friends paid their last respects.
They also thanked President Mnangagwa for conferring national hero status on Brig-Gen Mzheri.
In an interview last night, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said preparations for the burial were on course.
“The preparations are going on well. We expect people to be seated by 7.30am at the National Heroes Acre,” he said.
“His Excellency, the President, will preside over the burial and we expect a huge number of people to attend the event.”
All logistics, including transport, are now in place.
“We have gathered enough buses to take people to the National Heroes Acre. We urge people to go to their usual pick-up points for transport,” he said.
In his address during a funeral parade on Thursday, Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Commander, Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Matatu, implored Zimbabweans to defend the country’s independence and sovereignty at all costs as a way of paying homage to illustrious sons and daughters of the soil such as Brig-Gen Mzheri.
“We must defend what they stood and fought for — Zimbabwe’s independence and sovereignty — at all costs,” said Lt-Gen Matatu.
Brig-Gen Mzheri, he said, belonged to the pioneering generation of military officers who laid the foundation for the modern ZNA.
“Brigadier-General Mzheri was among the first crop of senior and general officers in the ZNA. These senior and general officers managed the integration process at the formation of the ZNA and, while it was still in its infancy, deployed and commanded its formations on operations in Mozambique to safeguard our strategic lifeline through that country,” he said.
“They laid the foundation upon which ZNA operational concepts were developed. They laid the foundation upon which the ZNA grew into a formidable force, excelling internationally on United Nations peacekeeping operations and on Operation Sovereign Legitimacy in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), making the nation proud and gaining the respect of our allies and foes.”
Family spokesperson Mrs Connie Chikore said they felt honoured by the recognition accorded to Brig-Gen Mzheri.
“We would like to greatly thank President Mnangagwa and the Politburo,” she said.
Brig-Gen Mzheri, whose Chimurenga name was Khetani Khanye, died on Tuesday at a medical facility in Harare following a long illness.
He was 75.
He was born on March 7, 1950 in Mberengwa district, Midlands province.
He participated in the Lancaster House peace talks in 1979 as a military adviser.
At independence, he was one of the first 18 ex-combatants to be attested into the Zimbabwe National Army as a Colonel on April 16, 1981, becoming the first Commandant at Inkomo Garrison.
Throughout his decorated military career, he held several key positions, including Commander 3 Infantry Brigade, Commander Special Task Force Mozambique and Director-General Defence Policy, Public Relations and Protocol, before retiring on July 31, 1999.
Brig-Gen Mzheri was decorated with several medals, among them the Liberation Medal, Independence Medal, Ten Years’ Service Medal, Long and Exemplary Service Medal, as well as the Mozambique Merit Award for his distinguished service to the nation.
