THE MDC-T Bulawayo province will today hold a memorial service for the late party leader and former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at the Large City Hall, where thousands of people are expected to attend.
BY SILAS NKALA
Provincial spokesperson, Felix Mafa Sibanda said the service will start at 8am, with various church denominations invited to participate.
“We know in Zimbabwe, heroes are conferred by the Zanu PF government, but we are saying a hero is born and cannot be chosen by any one. We appeal to all people and organisations to grace the occasion for this hero,” he said.
Sibanda said Tsvangirai was known for fighting for human rights and constitutionalism which people enjoy now and he must be respected and honoured for the work he did, adding he deserved a befitting honour.
“This is an interdenominational memorial service and open to all civic groups, political formations, faiths, residents associations and people of Zimbabwe as a whole,” he said.
Tsvangirai died of cancer of the colon while admitted at a private hospital in South Africa on Wednesday and is set to be buried on Monday at his home village in Buhera.
Meanwhile, the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Foundation has described Tsvangirai as an undisputed hero who should be honoured by authorities In a statement, the foundation’s director, Jabulani Hadebe said Tsvangirai was a brave politician and exhibited outstanding service to the people of Zimbabwe.
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“Tsvangirai was a symbol of democracy. He represented courage and determination in the face of oppression. He was the face of the struggle for democracy and also gave Zimbabweans hope for a better future,” he said.
“He sacrificed his personal interest to the collective interests of Zimbabwe as a whole. His cause for justice and freedom was, indeed, unwavering and unquestionable. It is a befitting honour that he is accorded national hero status by the responsible authorities.”
MDC leader, Welshman Ncube prayed that God guides the MDC-T towards unity, tolerance, compassion and empathy, the qualities that Tsvangirai embodied.
“Without doubt, the country has lost one of the most iconic, distinguished and charismatic leaders of our time. We are truly the poorer without him. President Tsvangirai steadfastly steered the turbulent ship of opposition politics in Zimbabwe since 1999 up until the time of his passing-on,” Ncube said
He said Tsvangirai had an unwavering sense of service to the nation and its people and made painful sacrifices including going through, unjust trials, imprisonment, vilification, abuse, harassment, beatings and torture that endeared him to the common man.
