by Staff reporter
Acting President Dr Constantino Chiwenga yesterday presided over a unique triple burial of the late Ministers, Dr Sibusiso Moyo, Joel Biggie Matiza and former Prisons and Correctional Services Commissioner- General Paradzai Zimondi at the National Heroes Acre.
The three sons of the soil succumbed to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic which has wrecked havoc the world over.
“Today marks a tragic day for our country, Zimbabwe, but unique in the sense that we are witnessing a tripple heroes burial ceremony, following the deaths of our dearly departed cadres of the second Chimurenga, namely, the late Retired Lieutenant General Dr Sibusiso Moyo, the late Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Architect, Dr Joel Biggie Matiza, late Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, and former Commissioner General (Retired) Willis Paradzai Zimondi.
“Suddenly, we have lost them to the dreaded invisible enemy, the COVID-19 pandemic which is wrecking havoc in the region and the whole world over’ hence, this ceremony is being held under strict World Health Organisation ( WHO) guidelines resulting in the limited number of mourners,” said Acting President Chiwenga.
The Acting President said Zimbabwe has not been spared from the COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged the entire world.
“We were here a few days ago, to lay to rest fellow comrades, Morton Malianga and Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba. One would expect that when tragedy strikes, it would gradually abate. This has not been the case with the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is still fiercely with us and only God knows the day it will end,” he said.
The Acting President said the common phenomenon about the three, which is the most important is that they participated immensely in the liberation struggle, a war that was waged to dislodge a Rhodesian regime that had dispossessed the indigenous Zimbabweans of their major birthright, the land, secondly the three comrades worked very hard to improve the lives of the people, post independence in a peaceful environment.
Acting President Chiwenga chronicled the liberation war history of the three heroes and the pivotal roles they played post-independence, to assist the country to prosper.
He said COVID-19 has taught the people a lesson that we are all mortals. “The fight against this pandemic does not allow for us to choose who to walk with, work with or run with. It does not discriminate between the powerful and the weak, the priviledged and the deprived, the haves and the have-nots. It is juggernaut that leaves a trail of despair and desperation. But we will eventually conquer it and prevail as a people,” he said
Zimbabwe has now lost four cabinet Ministers to COVID-19 and several other prominent political leaders and business people from the virus in recent weeks.
