Story by ZBC Reporter
ACTING President, General Retired Dr Constantino Chiwenga has saluted the three national heroes, Major General (Retired) Solomon Siziba, Cde Chen Chimutengwende and Ambassador John Shumba Mvundura for sacrificing their lives for the liberation and development of Zimbabwe.
In a statement, General Retired Dr Chiwenga described Major General (Retired) Siziba as a military strategist, who did not only participate in the liberation of Zimbabwe but also contributed to African emancipation.
“The late Major General (Rtd) Solomon Siziba, whose Chimurenga name was ‘Lebanon Ngazimbi’, was one of the students at Manama Mission school who were recruited in 1977 by ZIPRA Guerrillas. The group was taken to Botswana where they proceeded to Zambia to join the liberation struggle,” the Acting President said.
“Some of the cadres who crossed the border with the late Major General include Retired Air Chief Marshal Elson Moyo, the late national hero, Retired Lieutenant General Dr Sibusiso Moyo, and honourable Albert Ngulube amongst others.
“He underwent Basic Guerrilla Training in Kaunga under the current CDF, General Phillip Valerio Sibanda, who was the Camp Commandant. The late Major General (Rtd) was one of the survivors of the Freedom Camp and Mukushi Camp attacks by the Rhodesian Forces in 1978.
“In 1979, he was selected to undergo training in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, Moscow in Russia as a Reconnaissance Officer. He was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army and commissioned to the rank of Captain. The late Major General (Rtd) participated in the Mozambique Campaign and was also deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo during ‘Operation Sovereign Legitimacy’.
Dr Chiwenga also noted Cde Chimutengwende’s role during the liberation struggle when he mobilised resources and canvassed for international support.
“He began his political career in 1957 at the tender age of 14 while living in Highfield in the then Salisbury. His nationalist convictions and abhorrence of the oppressive colonial environment saw him rise rapidly until 1963 when he was appointed to the post of Secretary for Information and Publicity in the ZANU Youth League,” Dr Chiwenga said.
“The following year, 1964, Cde Chimutengwende received military and ideological training in Ghana during Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s time. He later went on to become the Executive Director of the Europe-Third World Research Centre while living in exile in London. The purpose of the Centre was to expose and campaign against the iniquitous nature of relations between Europe and the Third World, which formed the basis of colonialism,” he expressed.
“A staunch believer in Mao Zendong’s teachings, he remained committed to the liberation of the Zimbabwean people even while living in various countries across the globe, mobilising resources and canvassing for international support of the liberation movement back home,” the Acting President said.
After independence, Cde Chimutengwende served as a cabinet minister in various portfolios.
The Acting President went on to console the Mvundura family following the death of diplomat, Ambassador John Shumba Mvundura.
“Cde Mvundura’s political career began in the early days of ZAPU and ZANU when the black political activists began mobilising support to act against the oppressive colonial rule,” he said.
“As an activist and chair of youths in Old Highfield, he was among the brave sons and daughters of the soil who stood up and fought for the independence of Zimbabwe. Highfields was at the center of formative years of rising dissent against white supremacy in the then Rhodesia.
“Ambassador Mvundura received his military training in Tembwe, Mozambique in Tete Province and was a member of the ZANLA General Staff. He was later deployed in Nachingwea, Tanzania as an Assistant Instructor. Between 1978 and 1980, he was ZANU Chief of Protocol and Deputy Chief Representative in Mozambique.
“The Nation has lost a Diplomat who has served in different countries since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980.”
General Retired Dr Chiwenga said Ambassador Mvundura represented the nation with pride when he served in Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi, Libya, Nigeria and Cuba.
Acting President Chiwenga expressed his deepest condolences to the Siziba, Chimutengwende and Mvundura families on behalf of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the government of Zimbabwe.
