Story by Tamuka Charakupa
THE body of National Hero Cde Walter Basopo is now at his Chinhoyi residence, with the local community describing the late cadre as a patriotic leader and unifier.
The body was received in Chinhoyi Monday afternoon by Mashonaland West Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mr Josphat Jaji, the provincial and district leadership, relatives, friends and community members.
Wife to the late national hero Mrs Ketty Basopo expressed gratitude to government for the befitting honour bestowed upon her husband.
“My husband was an honest man. He served the country wholeheartedly. We are grateful to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for honouring his legacy,” she said.
The provincial leadership, colleagues and war veterans paid tribute to Cde Basopo for his patriotic leadership.
“As a province, we are deeply saddened by the loss of Cde Basopo who was living in Chinhoyi. He was always available to guide us as the ruling party. Truly to his death, Cde Basopo was a patriotic son of the soil, who worked for his country before and after independence. We continue to cherish his good works of defending the country before and after independence,” ZANU PF Mashonaland West Provincial Chairperson Cde Mary Mliswa-Chikoka said.
“As a party, we have lost one of our own who was a true example of being patriotic. We thank President Emmerson Mnangagwa for giving Cde Basopo a national hero status,” Makonde Legislator Hon Simba Ziyambi added.
Born in 1959 in Gutu, Cde Basopo joined the liberation struggle in 1976 under ZANLA and received military training in Mozambique.
After independence, he served as an intelligence officer and rose through the ranks to become a director in the Central Intelligence Organisation.
A church service was held in his honour and his body will lie in state in Chinhoyi before being flown to Harare on Tuesday, ahead of burial at the national shrine on Wednesday.
