Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, Online Reporter
The late Sikhubekiso Madeya Mangena, widow of national hero and revered former commander of the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), Cde Rodgers Alfred Nikita Mangena, will be buried on Saturday in Bulawayo.
The late Mrs Mangena was accorded a State-assisted funeral by the Government.
She passed away at her Manningdale home in Bulawayo last Sunday night at the age of 69.
“She will be buried in Bulawayo on Saturday. An announcement will be made in due course on the exact cemetery where she will be laid to rest but I can confirm that the burial will be in Bulawayo,” said the deceased’s son Mr Lotshe Mangena.
Mr Mangena said the family had accepted the offer by Government to accord the late Mrs Mangena a State-assisted funeral.
Mrs Mangena is survived by her son, Lotshe, and several grandchildren.
Cde Mangena, one of the pioneers of the armed struggle, was killed in a landmine explosion in southern Zambia in 1978. His remains were reburied at the National Heroes Acre on August 11, 1998.
When ZAPU’s military wing was reconstituted and renamed ZIPRA in 1971, following the departure of the Chikerema-Nyandoro group, Cde Mangena was appointed Commander of ZIPRA, with Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo serving as acting Commander-in-Chief.
Cde Mangena also served as a member of the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Council. Under his leadership, ZIPRA grew into a well-organised and disciplined force in a short space of time.
In honour of his legacy, the Government named the cantonment housing the Zimbabwe National Defence University and other institutions the Rodgers Alfred Nikita Mangena Barracks.
