By Staff reporter
The late MDC Tsholotsho South District Assembly Chairperson, Nduna Zephania Ncube who died due to hypertension, was declared a Liberation War Hero and buried at his rural homestead in Mpateni, Tsholotsho South on Saturday.
The burial was attended by about 300 mourners who included the MDC Provincial Organising Secretary, Edmore Zhou and that party’s Provincial Women Assembly chairperson, Sethule Ndebele.
Addressing mourners at the burial, Zhou castigated MDC members, especially the leadership housed at the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House, who failed to attend the burial and offer their last respects to a Liberation War Hero.
“It is a shame that other MDC members, especially the party leadership failed to attend or send representatives to convey their last respects to our fallen comrade.
“Considering that he (Ncube) was declared a Liberation War Hero and contributed immensely not only to Zimbabwe as a whole but to the party, he deserved a befitting send-off,” lamented Zhou.
Also addressing the same gathering, Ndebele paid tribute to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Government for recognising the late Ncube’s efforts despite being from a different political party.
“We appreciate the New Dispensation for recognising efforts by the late Zhou and conferring him with much deserved War Hero Status.
“It was going to be very easy to overlook him and his efforts because he was an MDC member but Government has shown that it is indeed the new dispensation,” she said.
The conferment of the Liberation War Hero status on Ncube rubbishes claims and the opposition narrative that the conferment process is purely partisan and biased towards ZANU PF members. The move solidifies the assertion that as long as one contributes to the development of Zimbabwe, they would be acknowledged.
History will reveal that the late National Liberation War Hero, Gary Magadzire, despite being non-partisan, was conferred hero status in recognition of his contributions to farming post-independence.
Another example is the late Joseph Luke Culverwell who served the country with distinction and working in different Ministries until retiring in 1992 because of ill-health.
More recently, the late Oliver Mtukudzi was conferred National Hero status despite being non-partisan, these developments confirm the notion that the New Dispensation will always recognise a person’s contribution to Zimbabwe regardless of political affiliation.
