Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo [email protected]
VICE President Rtd General Dr Constantino Chiwenga has called on Zimbabweans to remain united as one family in times of both joy and sorrow, reminding mourners that all humanity came from two people.
The Vice President said this in an interview at Old Pumula in Bulawayo yesterday, where he accompanied his spouse, Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi-Chiwenga, who lost her brother, Mondliwethu Nyathi.
Vice President Chiwenga said bereavement should bring families together.
“First and foremost, we are people. We are all related. You might be a Dube, you might be a Mhofu, you might be any of the totems that you know. But you remember we all came from two people. That is Adam and Eve. Those are our grandparents,” he said.
The Vice President traced the evolution of families, saying in the early days, when people were few, even brothers and sisters would meet, but as the population grew, laws were introduced to guide society.
“You remember in the past, even sisters and brothers used to meet when people were very few. But as the people became more and more, and you read even in the Bible that Moses then came with the law. But now, because there are now many, you can no longer do this.
“And the genesis of the Ten Commandments, and the genesis of the two commandments, when Jesus then came, He says, know your Father, the Almighty God, and glorify Him. And love your neighbour as you would love yourself,” he said.
“So we have come through a lot of evolution, if I might say. And so, as we are now, we have got fathers, mothers, that’s the nucleus family. And then you have got uncles, grandpas, and so forth, and that’s the extended family. But as we will be either in the nucleus family or in the extended family, whenever one gets into problems, we must be there together. Even during the time of joy, we must be there together.”
Vice President Chiwenga said families must console and advise each other during difficult times.
“So whether it is something that is so disturbing, we have to be together so we can console each other, and we can give each other advice. And like in this case, this is a bereavement,” he said.
Paying tribute to his father-in-law, the Vice President described him as a remarkable man who dedicated his life to his family.
“And my father-in-law escaped, our brother-in-law, for 26 years. And he was on and off, on and off, on and off. But he never, even when our mother-in-law died, he never remarried. And he looked after the family until what they are. And very few people can do that. He is such a wonderful father-in-law,” said Vice president Chiwenga.
Mondliwethu Nyathi, born on 24 July 1984, died on 23 September 2026 at Mpilo Central Hospital after a long illness.
A funeral service is underway before his burial today at Umvutshwa Cemetery in Bulawayo, with Vice President Chiwenga and Colonel Baloyi-Chiwenga in attendance.
