HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa rushed to announce his belated conferment of national heroes’ status on Ndabaningi Sithole without informing the surviving family, a foundation formed in honour of the late pioneering nationalist has revealed.
Sithole, Zanu co-founder and first president of the former liberation war party, died 2000 following an unyielding political career as opposition Zanu-Ndonga leader and years of persecution by his successor and now late state President Robert Mugabe.
Together with James Chikerema, Mugabe denied his liberation war contemporaries the highest honour of the land following grudges he carried with his former allies right from the struggle period.
But four years after ousting Mugabe in a famous military assisted coup 2017, Mnangagwa emerged to eulogise Sithole and Chikerema as unsung heroes of the country’s liberation struggle.
In a speech he delivered at the national shrine when he led the annual National Heroes Day Commemorations two weeks ago, Mnangagwa said his government was honouring the two “for their historical contributions, despite their areas of weaknesses, with regards to the observance of the correct line of the Revolution”.
Sithole’s family has come out expressing its disquiet over Mnangagwa’s failure to do the slightest of things, that is to inform it about the government decision to honour him for his liberation war contributions.
Through the Ndabaningi Sithole Foundation, the family said it only learnt of the developments over Sithole’s new hero status through the press.
“While the family hails the delayed governmental honour and recognition of Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole and James Dambaza Chikerema, among many that remain to be celebrated, the Foundation, however regrets the family of Ndabaningi Sithole had to hear of such belated honour through the press, and to date, remains informed by the press.
“As a step in the pursuit of truth, justice and recognition, we implore the Government of Zimbabwe to meet the family,” said foundation chairman Bishop Chad Gandiya in a statement co-signed by foundation manager Makaita Noel Mutasa.
It is a tradition that when government wants to confer hero’s status on a departed citizen, Mnangagwa personally delivers or sends a representative to deliver the message to the family.
Commenting on the belated conferment of the honour earlier this month, renowned political analyst and publisher Ibbo Mandaza described the move as a vote buying gimmick targeted at the late politicians’ sympathisers ahead of elections next year.
Mandaza said “such ahistorical nonsense, full of dubious political motives”.
Sithole hailed from Chipinge and Chikerema from Mashonaland West with both commanding a strong sentiment among their tribesmen.
