Zimpapers Logo

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE ashes of the late former deputy commander of the Three Brigade in Mutare, Retired Colonel Eddie Sigoge Mlotshwa were yesterday thrown into the Zambezi River in line with his will, three months after his death and cremation.

Rt Col Sigoge, who was also at one time the security manager of companies belonging to the late Vice-President Landa John Nkomo, died in June at the age of 70.

He was cremated and the ashes were kept, until relatives complied with his wish yesterday.

In his will, Rt Col Sigoge said his ashes should be thrown into the Zambezi River as he wished to join his comrades who drowned while crossing the river to join the liberation struggle.

Following his death, a military parade was conducted at One Commando before cremation at Glen Forest Crematorium in Harare at the beginning of July.
Since then the ashes were kept at the family house in Lobengula West, Bulawayo.

The Mlotshwa family, joined by relatives from Botswana and Zambia and a few war veterans, held a memorial service in Victoria Falls before disposing the ashes into the Zambezi River later in the day.

Family spokesperson Mr Peter Mlotshwa said it was difficult to accept the decision as it was unusual in the African culture.

“It was difficult to accept, especially knowing that this has never happened. He used to talk about it and we thought it was a joke until the will was read. He requested to be cremated and his ashes thrown into the Zambezi River and today we are here doing the final lap of his burial process,” said Mr Mlotshwa.

He said Rt Col Sigoge wanted to “join his colleagues who drowned while crossing the river on their way to Zambia to join the war.”

“The process started in Harare then we had a service and parade at Imbizo Barracks before coming here. We have booked a boat so we can go to the centre of the river where we can dispose of the ashes.

“The process delayed because his children who are based outside the country had requested time to go back to their various work areas and now they have come so we continue with the ritual,” added Mr Mlotshwa.

One of Rt Col Sigoge’s sons, Kennedy said it was difficult for them as his children to accept the idea of cremating their father’s body but had to respect his will.

Rtd Col Sigoge came from a special class of senior commanders of Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (Zipra) that included Retired Col Masala Sibanda, Enoch Tshangange (the late Retired Major-General Jevan Maseko), Ben Mathe (Retired Brigadier-General Tshile Nleya).

In 1978, he survived an attack that killed the commander of Zipra forces Rogers Alfred Nikita Mangena in Zambia.

He was an astute master tactician who trained freedom fighters on obstacle crossing and is credited with engineering numerous raids that sapped the enemy’s morale and willpower to continue fighting.

He was an instructor in Tanzania and is credited for opening training camps in Zambia in 1976 where at one time he was chief of staff and chief of training in 1978.

@ncubeleon