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Midlands Correspondents
THE late Officer Commanding Harare Province Senior Assistant Commissioner Shadreck Mubaiwa, who died on Boxing Day along Borrowdale Road, was on Tuesday declared a liberation hero.

He was buried at the Midlands Provincial Heroes Acre in Gweru.

Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa, 54, who was also the chairperson of the Harare Provincial Joint Operations Command (JOC), died when the vehicle he was travelling in was hit on the roof by a falling tree.

Thousands of people who include police officers, government officials and politicians thronged the provincial heroes’ acre to bid him farewell.

He had been pencilled to be buried at Mtapa Cemetery in Gweru before Zanu-PF accorded him the liberation hero status.

Speakers described his death as a great loss to the government, the police force and nation.

The Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs Cde Jason Machaya said Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa was a selfless dedicated cadre who served the government and the nation diligently dating back to the time of the liberation struggle.

He said Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa was a war collaborator who operated in Shurugwi and made a significant contribution towards the attainment of independence in 1980.

“The late Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa had earned stripes and distinguished himself as a humble and committed senior officer and commander. I must say his record of focused commitment, dedication to work and his record of leadership ability and capability speak for themselves,” said Cde Machaya in a speech read on his behalf by Gweru District Administrator Shepherd Marwei.

Zanu-PF Midlands Provincial Chairman Cde Kizito Chivamba, who is also Chiwundura constituency legislator, described Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa as a hero who was devoted to the nation.

Former Midlands Province Governor, Cde Cephas Msipa, said Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa was supposed to be a pastor because of his inner man and character.

“I think the late Mubaiwa chose a wrong profession. He was supposed to be a pastor not a policeman. He always made peace with everybody wherever he was,” he said.

Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa was born on October 13, 1961 in Shurugwi.

He did his primary at Vungwi Primary School from 1967 to 1973 before transferring to Ironsides Primary School in 1974.

Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa went to Chrome Secondary School between 1975 and 1978 after which he joined the liberation struggle as a war collaborator.

He was attested into the ZRP at Independence and rose through the ranks to the position of the Senior Assistant Commissioner, a position he held until the time of his timely death.

Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa was a Crime operations Officer for Mashonaland Central from May 2009 to August 2012 before he became Operations Administrator from August 2012 to December 2013.

From December 2013 to December 2014 Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa was promoted to the position of Police Officer Commanding Midlands Province.

Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa was a holder of Diploma in Education, Bachelor of Arts in Education, and Masters in Education Administration all from the University of Zimbabwe.

He was transferred from Midlands Province to Harare in December 2014 where he became Officer Commanding Harare Province.

Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa died at A.M.I Medical Centre in Harare, from injuries sustained as a result of the accident which occurred at around 5PM.

He was driving a Ford Ranger twin cab towards the city centre with two passengers, his wife and granddaughter.

The vehicle was hit on the roof by a falling Cypress tree and Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa sustained internal head injuries.

He was rushed to Avenues Clinic and was transferred to A.M.I Centre.

Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa is survived by his wife Farai, four children Pride, Pamela, Humphrey and Fungai and five grandchildren.