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Prosper Ndlovu Senior Reporter
The Zanu-PF Politburo will meet today to discuss the hero status of veteran nationalist Cde Enos Nkala and freedom fighter Retired Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai who died in separate incidents this week.Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo said yesterday that the Politburo would be seized with the matter at the meeting starting this morning.
The party’s Manicaland provincial committee has since written to the Politburo requesting that Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai be declared a national hero considering the contribution he made to the country.
Provincial deputy chairperson Cde Mike Nyambuya confirmed making request.
“We have met as a province and have submitted our application for the hero status,” he said.
On Wednesday President Mugabe said Cde Nkala deserved national hero status.
Cde Nkala (81) died from a complicated ailment that saw his heart and kidneys failing.
He was born in Insiza district in Matabeleland South and was one of the founders of Zanu as the party was formed at his house, 4449 Highfield, Harare in 1963.
Cde Nkala was detained at Gonakudzingwa for 12 years with other leaders such as President Mugabe, Ndabaningi Sithole, Edgar Tekere, Leopold Takawira and Maurice Nyagumbo.
After independence , he served as Finance, Defence and Home Affairs Minister until he resigned in 1989 at the height of the Willowgate scandal which involved the acquisition of several vehicles from Willowvale Madza Motor Industries by individuals in Government.
Scores of mourners yesterday paid their last respects to the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) general manager Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai at a funeral service at his official residence in Bulawayo.
By 10am the mourners who included NRZ senior management and staff, senior officers of the uniformed forces, friends and relatives had gathered at Number 56 Livingstone Road, Broadway House in Suburbs to bid farewell to Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai.
However, plans to take the NRZ boss’ body to Harare in the afternoon were postponed following communication from the capital that the body would be flown today.
Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai (56) died at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo on Tuesday morning after he was involved in a horrific accident the previous night along the Bulawayo-Harare Road just after Shangani Mine turn-off Flyover Bridge.
He sustained serious injuries on the head, hand and back when the car he was driving hit a stray cow at the 79km peg resulting in the vehicle swerving to the right and then sideswiped with a haulage truck which was going in the opposite direction.
Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai, who was travelling alone from Harare, was on his way to Bulawayo.
Speakers at the service said Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai’s departure was a sad chapter in the history of NRZ, his family and the nation at large.
NRZ director of technical services Engineer Louise Mukwada said Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai was a skilled manager who worked hard to turnaround the company’s fortunes.
He said the entire management was shocked by the death of their boss. “When we heard that he was involved in an accident we rushed to meet him at Mater Dei Hospital. On arrival he was admitted to the casualty section but because he was bleeding profusely probably because of internal injuries he was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit,” said Eng Mukwada.
The vice-president of the Railway Association of Yard Operations Staff, Mr Duncan Mnikwa, who was representing NRZ unions, said the workers appreciated Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai’s efforts to improve the company’s performance although they often “clashed” with him.“
We worked so well with him and we join his family and the nation at large in paying tribute to him. We say farewell to our leader,” he said.
Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai’s son Mr Tendai Tichafa said his father was a solid pillar of the family, a unifier and a wise counsellor.
“His sudden death is a blow to the family. We never thought things would go this way. He was such a loving father, a generous man of the people. He really wanted to turn NRZ around and believed things were going to change,” said Mr Karakadzai. “We went to the scene of the accident and saw what happened. This was an accident and there is no conspiracy to his death. Let us allow him to rest in peace.”
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe National Army Bulawayo district senior chaplain Major Elphas Dube consoled the mourners with a Biblical reading from the book of Job, a man who went through a lot of trials and tribulations but never despised God.
Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai was born in Chipinge in 1957. At a tender age of 18 he had experienced the brutality of the settler regime and decided to abandon his studies at Mt Jersey Secondary School in Chipinge to take up arms to dislodge the racist colonial regime.
He crossed the border through Espunga Beira to Machazi in Mozambique in 1975 and was later transferred to Chibawawa Camp before going to Chimoio Camp where he received military training.
After training, Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai whose Chimurenga name as Cde Hiplevel was selected to undergo political education at Chitepo Ideological College in 1977. He was then posted to Tete Province to carry out political education, mobilisation, political research and the setting up of Zanu structures in liberated and semi-liberated zones.
He was later appointed the Detachment Commander for Nyahui (Rushinga District) Detachment.
By 1978 the area had been declared a liberated zone and Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai’s role was to create Zanu political structures and consolidate the liberation of that area.
During his illustrious career in the AFZ, Rtd Air Comm Karakadzai held numerous positions which included Base Equipment Officer in 1985, Acting Staff Officer Grade 1 Equipment in 1988, and Staff Officer Grade 1 Equipment External in the same year.
In 1989, he was appointed Acting Director Equipment before he was promoted to be the Director Equipment in 1991. He distinguished himself in executing his duties and was promoted to the post of Director General Operations three years later.
In 2000, he was appointed the Deputy Secretary for Defence Policy and Procurement.
Rtd Air Comm Karakadza is survived by wife, Sylvia and five sons.
Burial arrangements are yet to be announced.
Mourners are gathered at Number 56 Livingstone Road, Broadway House in Suburbs, Bulawayo and Number 33 Guyscliff Road, Greystone Park in Harare.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter