‘Emulate selfless Muzenda’

By The Standard | Sep. 22, 2021 | 1 Min read

Muzenda died on September 20, 2003, at the age of 80 and was declared a national hero. He was interred at the National Heroes Acre.

BY GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA

President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday waxed lyrical about the late Vice-President Simon Muzenda, describing him as a veteran freedom fighter and nationalist.

Muzenda died on September 20, 2003, at the age of 80 and was declared a national hero. He was interred at the National Heroes Acre.

Speaking on the 18th anniversary of Muzenda’s death, Mnangagwa said the commemorations served as a constant reminder to Zimbabweans to continue focusing their energies and efforts towards maintaining everlasting peace and unity.

“A respected politician among his contemporaries, Dr Mzee, as he was affectionately called, never relented in fighting colonial subjugation and racial discrimination wherever it manifested,” Mnangagwa said.

“He would not hesitate to rebuke or speak against those who sought to perpetuate this backward, retrogressive and divisive colonial legacy.”

Mnangagwa urged Zimbabweans to take a leaf from Muzenda who sacrificed his life for the liberation of the country. He played numerous roles before and after independence in 1980, that include nation building, socio-economic transformation and international relations.

“Our youths, especially, should embrace the values he exuded and espoused so that they can play a leading role in our communities as change agents for the attainment of vision 2030 of an empowered, knowledge and technology-upper middle income society.”