daniel chigunwe
Mukudzei Chingwere
Herald Reporter
FORMER Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Cde Justin Mupamhanga, was a straightforward man who never moved away from the ethos of the liberation struggle and worked hard for national development, Acting President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.
Speaking at the Mupamhanga family home in Harare yesterday where he had visited to console them, Acting President Chiwenga said President Mnangagwa was saddened by the death of Cde Mupamhanga, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Top 10.
“The President is saddened by the death of Cde Top 10, that was the name we used to call Cde Mupamhanga,” he said.
“When we notified the President of the sad loss, the decision to honour Cde Top 10 with hero status was unanimous, reflecting the immense contribution he made to our country.
“We faced numerous problems along the way, which dates back to the days of our liberation struggle, but Top 10 never deviated from the ideals of the liberation struggle, and he worked very hard for Zimbabwe pre and post-independence.”
Acting President Chiwenga was accompanied by Vice President Kembo Mohadi, Zanu PF National Chairman and Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe, who is also the ruling party’s Mashonaland Central provincial chairman, and Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Affairs and Devolution Charles Tawengwa, among other senior Government officials.
Cde Mupamhanga died on Wednesday in Harare and was declared a national hero. He is expected to be buried on Monday at the National Heroes Acre.
Acting President Chiwenga
described Cde Mupamhanga as a man of “integrity who never strayed from the principles that guided our fight for independence”.
“He is one person who exerted himself fully in work; he put his full weight and full strength in all the work he did and was best with his family, his party and his country.
“He was one of the pioneering university students who joined the liberation struggle,” he said.
Acting President Chiwenga urged the family to celebrate the life of Cde Mupamhanga and take pride from the legacy he left due to his principled and forthright work ethic.
On his part, Vice President Mohadi was full of praise for Cde Mupamhanga’s contribution, describing him as a strong and hardworking man.
“We have come here to mourn with you following the death of our colleague,” said VP Mohadi.
“We had a very good working relationship with Cde Mupamhanga and he worked very hard for the development of this country.
“He has left a very huge void which will be difficult to fill, but we only get solace from the good work he did for his country”.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the presence of senior Government and party officials at the funeral wake of Cde Mupamhanga was testament to the good work he did for the country.
“Cde Mupamhanga worked very hard for Zimbabwe, before and after independence, our presence here is a reflection of the good work he did for his country,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.
Family representative and son to the national hero Mr Simba Mupamhanga thanked the Government and the ruling Zanu PF party for honouring his father.
“We are very grateful for the honour bestowed on our father; the highest honour in the land. We do not take lightly this recognition and for that we want to say thank you.
“One thing that our father used to say was that his colleagues will remember the journey they travelled together, and one thing that I can testify is that his comrades never let him down, they always supported him and even after his death they have honoured him,” said Mr Mupamhanga.
His death came on a day when the country buried three national heroes – the late Cde Chakezha Chenhamo “Chen” Chimutengwende, Major-General (Retired) Solomon Siziba and Ambassador John Shumba Mvundura.
