Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
THE people of Mashonaland Central gave their last respects to national hero Cde Elson Mupamaonde, who died on March 3 and was declared a national hero amid praise for his heroic exploits in the country’s liberation war.
The body of national hero Cde Mupamaonde was flown from Bindura to Chipiri farm in Centenary this Saturday morning, where Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Honourable Christopher Magomo led government and ZANU PF officials in consoling the Mupamaonde family.
“Mupamaonde family, be comforted by God. We should recall that death is God’s plan. We are all in a bus, and only God knows when we will all go down. But let us also thank the President as a province for giving us a national hero as a province,” Honourable Magomo said.
Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Zhemu Soda, who is also ZANU PF Muzarabani District Co-ordinating Committee Chairman, paid tribute to Cde Mupamaonde for bringing honour to the district through his brave deeds.
“I know we are all grieving. We heard from the family that he was the father of the family. But the President has comforted the Muzarabani family. Here in Muzarabani, we have been comforted by the President. He has honoured us by giving us a national hero. Please extend our gratitude to him. What the President says about leaving no one and no place behind has been honoured,” he said.
Family representative Mr Peter Mushayavanu said they have lost a father figure in the family, creating a gap that will be difficult to fill.
“The hero we have here is the elder brother in the family. He was now the father, that is where we all ran to. However, God has done his will. We thank God for keeping him. He went through a lot and sometimes hid in the mountains. His life was preserved,” Mr Mushayavanhu noted.
Cde Mupamaonde, who was affectionately known by his Chimurenga names such as Soft Diet, Magarasadza and Cde Dubulani Mhlostwa, joined the liberation struggle in 1972, training at Morogoro before going for specialised artillery training in Ukraine in 1974.
He trained to use the Strela 2 heat seeking missile, which he would later use to shoot down Air Rhodesia flight 827 in a mission code named Operation Disrupt Tourism.
The plane crash killed about 49 people, while close to 10 survivors met their fate at the hands of the freedom fighters.
The destruction of the plane sent a chilling message to the Ian Smith colonial regime that the situation in the country had reached another level in the war to end colonial rule.
