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Cde Thokozile Angela Mathuthu

At only 61, Cde Thokozile Mathuthu was too young to die.

It is so sad that the Zanu-PF Politburo member, former Matabeleland North Provincial Governor and Deputy Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services who had made it into the Senate after the July 30 elections lost her battle with cancer on Monday.

She was one of the more colourful figures in Zanu-PF who served her party and nation most diligently and in various capacities. She was well known for lifting the morale of party meetings with her songs and eloquent presentations. She was always jovial and very accessible. Her family, Hwange District, Matabeleland North and the country at large have indeed been robbed of a motherly figure, loyal servant of both party and Government.  Her works speak for themselves which is why it was obvious that the ruling party would bestow on her national heroine status immediately after her death.

Born on March 26, 1957, in Bulawayo, she became active politically in the 1970s. Between 1975 and 1978, she was a committee member of the Zapu Youth Wing and assisted combatants operating in the Tinde and Kamativi areas.

Between 1980 and 1982, Cde Mathuthu was a committee member of the Zapu Women’s Wing and later rose to become deputy chairperson of the same wing in Nengasha party district, Hwange.

She was also involved in the integration committees during talks between Zanu and Zapu after which she was, in 1987, elected secretary for administration for the Matabeleland North provincial Women’s League, serving in that position until 1993.  She took up the position of secretary for transport and social welfare in the national executive of the Women’s League in 1994 until 1999. In 2000 she made it into the Zanu-PF Politburo as deputy secretary for transport and social welfare and five years later was promoted to head of the portfolio.

Between 2005 and 2013, she was appointed Governor of Matabeleland North and was called upon again in 2015 when she was appointed deputy minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services until 2016.

President Mnangagwa led tributes to a former comrade when he visited the Mathuthu home in Harare on Monday.

“We have what we call a round-robin where we consult each other on decisions like these and I am happy to say we have unanimously agreed that she be accorded the national heroine status,” he told mourners.

“We are so happy that the leadership has accorded her the status and as President, I so declare. Cde Mathuthu was our Deputy Secretary of the Women’s League at the time of her death, but ever since I have known her, she has always worked tirelessly for the party and if she cannot be a national hero, then no one will.  She has been unwell for some time, but she would always attend Politburo meetings. She only missed last week’s meeting. That is how committed she was despite her illness. I say to Cde (Jonathan) Mathuthu, your wife was a hero for both the party and country.  We also say thank you for allowing her to work for the party. As Zanu-PF, we have lost and the void she has left will be difficult to fill.  I am happy that she was a devoted Christian because it is important that when we are still alive and have time that we prepare for the life after death by mending our ways with God.”

It was indeed a shock to hear the news that Cde Mathuthu had departed because her illness wasn’t too publicly known.

While she was a national figure, many in her province, Matabeleland North, will remember her for the work she did to develop the provincial capital, Lupane.  For many years, the province was governed from Bulawayo.

The provincial governor was based in the city, so were all provincial heads.  It was not ideal that the people who were supposed to lead in developing the provincial capital were mere tourists in their area of work.  Because they only drove there when duty called, they did not experience first-hand life in their province.

Cde Mathuthu knew that this was not what it was supposed to be. To correct it, she moved her office to Lupane, shunning the brighter lights and paved roads of Bulawayo for dusty and duller Lupane. In addition, she was instrumental in the development of infrastructure that is requisite for Lupane to be close to attaining its status of a provincial capital. Important buildings were constructed at the Matabeleland North provincial capital, among them Elitsheni Government Complex, Bubi-Lupane Dam and Lupane State University.  She initiated their building and now the university has some students learning at Lupane while the dam and office complex are now working.

We are truly saddened by Cde Mathuthu’s departure given the role she played in national development. She leaves a gap that the party and Government will struggle to fill. May her soul rest in eternal peace.