Online Reporter
Ashley Phiri
Online Reporter
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has conferred Liberation Hero Status on the late liberation struggle war icon, Cde Elias Sikholiwe Njani Moyo, who died on 26 April.
He was 100 years old.
The late Cde Moyo will be buried at Terelyne Village under Chief Gwebu in Umzingwane, Matabeleland South province on Saturday.
Cde Moyo passed away at Mater Dei Hospital after a long illness.
“Mr Moyo dedicated his life selflessly to the liberation of Zimbabwe and the empowerment of its people. His unwavering commitment to the struggle for freedom resulted in his imprisonment for life by the Smith regime, a sacrifice emblematic of his deep love for the nation. His contributions remain a proud part of Zimbabwe’s history,” said his great-grandson and family spokesperson, Mr Mkhululi Chimoio.
Mr Chimoio said his great-grandfather was a local businessman in Mawabeni who was passionate about uplifting the lives of local community members.
“Beyond his role in the liberation movement, Mr Moyo was a pillar of the business sector, playing a significant role in uplifting communities through economic empowerment and business development, with many families benefiting from his wisdom, leadership, and foresight.”
Moyo, who was a branch treasurer of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) at the time, was 50 years old when he was sentenced following the alleged shooting of a white storekeeper, Mr Leonard Ashly, at Mbalabala on 7 July 1976.
The Rhodesian media reported that three freedom fighters had asked Moyo for food and shelter, and he harboured them at his home for four nights.
The reports further alleged that on the fourth day, the freedom fighters murdered a white storekeeper not far from Moyo’s village.
In a story titled “This man lost all – through helping the terrorists,” Moyo was accused of making his family suffer by risking his business, losing his 50−a−week job and selling cattle to pay 700 for lawyers’ fees.
The story’s first line read: “Elias Njani Moyo, who is 50 years old, has recently lost everything he has striven for in life because he gave help to some terrorists.”
Such stories were obviously meant to deter the black majority from helping or supporting freedom fighters.
The majority Government eventually pardoned Moyo after independence, and his life is a testament to his resilience and the long struggle for justice and freedom.
Many freedom fighters were imprisoned under harsh conditions by the Rhodesian regime, which sought to maintain white minority rule.
