The land question through the eyes of heroine Cde Florence Mankosi Chirenda

FOR the late Cde Florence Mankosi Chirenda, the land question was more than just a national debate, but a personal mission entrenched in her liberation war experience and sharpened through academic inquiry.

A veteran of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle and widow to the late Lt-Col (Rtd) Harold Mtandwa Chirenda, Cde Chirenda died in the early hours of Tuesday at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo at the age of 71. She has been declared a liberation war heroine and will be laid to rest on Monday at the Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre in Nkulumane.

Cde Chirenda, born on July 10, 1954 in Kezi District, Matabeleland South, was a woman of intellect and conviction. In the 1970s, she was sent to Romania under the banner of Zapu to study journalism, a strategic deployment to empower the liberation struggle with powerful voices in the media.

She earned a Diploma in Journalism from the Stefan Gheorghiu Academy in Bucharest in 1981, where she wrote a powerful thesis dissecting the role of the media in both colonial and post-independence Zimbabwe, with a particular focus on the land question.

“The thesis deals with the history of the Rhodesian Press, which I have termed the ‘colonial press’. It is rather a brief account arranged in a manner to help those know about the history of the Press in Zimbabwe during the colonial years, get a brief idea about it and differentiate it from the present Zimbabwean Press,” wrote Cde Chirenda.

In her paper, Cde Chirenda critically analysed how the colonial media shaped public opinion around land ownership, racial inequality and economic exclusion. She contrasted this with the role of the independent Zimbabwean Press, which she argued was vital in nation-building, peace and development.

Cde Chirenda’s work also documented the underground Press of liberation movements and the powerful role it played in mobilising oppressed populations.

“The tasks of these publications and the contributions they gave to the struggling masses of Zimbabwe are clearly spelled out in the thesis,” she noted.

Cde Chirenda’s daughter, Ms Louisa Chirenda, said her mother’s body will lie in state at their Paddonhurst home tomorrow night ahead of Monday’s burial.

“We thank the people of Zimbabwe for standing with us and for recognising the values our mother lived by, her dignity, justice and service to the nation,” she said.

“While we mourn her loss, we are comforted by the fact that her life and sacrifices have not gone unnoticed. She was a woman of strength, integrity, and courage. She now belongs to the nation.”

Cde Chirenda’s education journey started at Mtshumayeli Primary School followed by Usher Mission for her secondary education and later Moeng College in Botswana.

After her studies abroad, she returned home and worked for the Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency (Ziana) in Harare until retirement.

Beyond journalism, she was a passionate entrepreneur and a dedicated philanthropist. She also found peace in her home garden, which she described as a “sanctuary” for her family.

She is survived by four children — three daughters and a son. Mourners are gathered at Number 22 Britannia Avenue, Paddonhurst.

Her husband, the late Lt-Col (Rtd) Chirenda, known during the war as Elliot Masengo, died in January 2014 and was conferred with National Hero status.