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Gibson Mhaka Zimpapers Politics Hub
THE widow of the late National Hero and former Zapu Director for Welfare, Cde Artwell Nelson Bokwe, has died.
Cde Nokuthula Bokwe (78) passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 2, 2026 at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Confirming the sad news, her daughter and family spokesperson, Noluthando Fikelephi Bokwe, said the family was seized with processing the loss of a matriarch who dedicated her life to social work and the welfare of liberation war veterans.
“She passed away peacefully on the 2nd of January 2026 at Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK. She leaves behind two children, Sonwabo and Noluthando, and two grandchildren, Sifiso and Mxolisi. Repatriation and burial arrangements will be advised in due course,” she said.
Born on January 16, 1947 in the Kingdom of Eswatini, Cde Bokwe’s journey into social activism began early.
After completing her primary and secondary education in Eswatini, she moved to Zambia in 1965 to enroll at the University of Zambia and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work in 1967.
It was during her university years that she met her husband, the late Cde Artwell Bokwe in 1966 and they were blessed with their first son, Zwelinzima Daluxolo Bokwe, who passed away on March 9, 2005.
While in exile in Zambia, she worked at Oppenheimer Hospital as a social worker, supporting her husband who was then a key figure in the armed struggle for Zimbabwe’s liberation.
The couple married in 1975, and they were blessed with their second son Sonwabo David Bokwe.
Following Zimbabwe’s independence, Cde Bokwe returned to the country, though the homecoming was marked by tragedy.
Her daughter, Noluthando, was born in February 1981, just a month after the death of Cde Artwell Bokwe on 24 January 1981.
