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with President Mugabe urging Zimbabweans to be patriotic and ready to defend the country’s sovereignty.
Thousands of people gathered at the national shrine to pay their last respects to the gallant son of the soil.
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara was among senior Government officials present, while MDC-T boycotted the burial.
Addressing mourners, the President described Cde Karimanzira as a dedica-ted cadre who played a crucial role during the liberation struggle and challenged Zimbabweans to emulate him.
“Rwanga rwuri rwendo rurefu rwata-kafamba naDavid Godi Ishemunyoro Karimanzira. Rwendo rwevanozvipira. Rwendo rwevanoda nyika yavo kupfuura vamwe. Chido chenyika chakadzama kupfuura ipapo hachisi chekungoda zviche-rwa . . . Chakapfuura ipapo, ndeche-kuzvipira kuti nyika yangu haingatorwe ndisina kuimirira ini.
“Usina kuzvipira zvakaita vana David Karimanzira hauna chido chizere che-nyika yako,” President Mugabe said.
The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces said Cde Karimanzira was a true patriot who loved his country and contributed to its independence from the British at a tender age.
He explained why Cde Karimanzira was buried at the sacred national shrine alongside other gallant sons of the soil whose contribution to Zimbabwe’s liberation was unquestionable.
“Vanouya pano (Heroes Acre) ndivo vanegwara. Uri mwana wevhu akazvipira kufira ivhu rako, nzira inonanga pano. Kana washaya pano ndipo pazororo.
“Harisi zororo revamwewo zvavo. Vakazvipira chaizvo, magamba emberi mberi ndivo vanovigwa pano,” President Mugabe said.
He added: “To do good for your country is to stand for it, to defend it, to sacrifice your life for it. That is what David Karimanzira was.”
The President said during the liberation struggle, Cde Karimanzira was amo-ng nationalists who organised funding and material support for the freedom fighters.
“They constituted a group we could rely on to get support from liberal elements within the Labour Party,” President Mugabe said.
After the liberation struggle, President Mugabe said Cde Karimanzira again pla-yed a critical role in Government and within Zanu-PF, furthering the objectives of the liberation war.
President Mugabe said gone were the days when blacks would praise sing whi-tes, saying now was the time for the empowerment of the indigenous people.
“Our minds were conditioned to thin-king that we were an inferior race. We had to redeem ourselves,” he said.
The President said now that Zimbabwe had reclaimed its land from the whites, which was the main objective of the liberation struggle, it was time for black economic empowerment.
“Tatora nyika nevhu nhanho yechipiri – indigenisation and empowerment. Indigenisation iriko.
“When we took our land vaiti tisu takabata nyika tine mabanks . . . ndiko kwatiri kusvika ikoko,” he said.
President Mugabe said those companies that were yet to comply with the indigenisation and empowerment regulations should quickly “transform and become Zimbabwean”.
“So we are saying now we must take over our country. Outsiders who want to come and work with us, come, but we would be senior partners.”
He said whites who wanted to come to work in Zimbabwe should do so as Zimbabweans and those who do not want should go. President Mugabe said: “Listen Britain and America, this is our country. If you have companies that want to work in our mining sector, they are welcome but we must have our people as major shareholders.”
The Governor and Resident Minister for Harare died on Thursday morning at West End Hospital.