×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Cde Chinx burial set for today

News
THE family of the late liberation war hero, Dickson Chingaira, affectionately known as Cde Chinx, has snubbed the Harare Provincial Heroes’ Acre, opting to bury the musician at the privately-run Glen Forest Cemetery on the outskirts of the city today.

THE family of the late liberation war hero, Dickson Chingaira, affectionately known as Cde Chinx, has snubbed the Harare Provincial Heroes’ Acre, opting to bury the musician at the privately-run Glen Forest Cemetery on the outskirts of the city today.

BY OBEY MANAYITI/VENERANDA LANGA

Cde Chinx’ son and family spokesperson, Deeds, confirmed the development yesterday.

“Burial is tomorrow (today). His body will lie in state at home today (yesterday) and burial will be at Glen Forest in the afternoon. We are not going to the Provincial Heroes’ Acre,” he said.

“As a family, we saw it fit to accept the status bestowed on him and the officiating of the State during his burial, but at a more spacious place as compared to the Provincial Heroes’ Acre. We went there in the morning to assess, but we saw it fit to have an alternative so that it will be easy for the family to visit the graveyard,” Deeds added. “This has nothing to do with the conferment of the status. We appreciate that status and we welcome it and we will continue thanking them for the status. We will be working together on the programme. In fact, they are the owners of the programme.

“We confirmed with them on the possibility of changing the burial place and we were given the greenlight. They said all they wanted is to be advised in time. We are expecting the full military honours and we are expecting the resident minister to officiate at the burial.”

Chinx succumbed to cancer at a private hospital last Friday, but the burial was delayed as Zanu PF politburo members took long to agree on his hero status. The family, war veterans and Cde Chinx’ colleagues in the music industry had expected President Robert Mugabe to declare him a national hero, but the Zanu PF leader would not budge.

Yesterday, opposition legislators through MDC-T vice-president Nelson Chamisa proposed that Parliament must sit today to discuss elevating the status of Cde Chinx from provincial to national hero.

Chamisa raised it as a matter of privilege in the National Assembly, saying the role played by the late musician should not be understated.

“I am saying this in connection with section 23 and 84 (i) of the Constitution in terms of the rights of veterans of the liberation struggle, and I am saying this because it has arisen that one of our war veterans, Cde Chinx, has been conferred provincial liberation hero status,” he said

“It is within our power as Parliament to intervene and say that as far as we are concerned, it is our sincere position that Cde Chinx is supposed to be a national hero.”

Chamisa said his request was not about party politics, but about Parliament standing to defend those who fought during the liberation struggle.

Acting Speaker of the National Assembly Reuben Marumahoko said he would study Chamisa’s matter of privileges and make a ruling in a few days.

The House was then adjourned to July 11, but MDC-T chief whip Innocent Gonese opposed the adjournment saying by then it would be pointless to discuss the hero status of someone already buried. But, Marumahoko quashed Gonese’s points saying his previous ruling stood.

MDC-T MPs sang one of Cde Chinx’s songs, Vanhu Vese Vemuno muAfrica, as the House was adjourned to next Tuesday instead of July 11.