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for burial today at the National Heroes Acre.
His widow Regina, Matabeleland North Provincial Governor Cde Thokozile Mathuthu and close relatives accompanied the body.

Cde Muntanga’s body lay in state at One Commando Barracks last night ahead of today’s burial.
Zanu-PF national chairman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo received the body.
Speaking to journalists, Cde Khaya Moyo described Cde Muntanga’s death as a loss to the whole country.

“The body of the lion of Binga that slept last week has just arrived in Harare for burial tomorrow (today). We are mourning but we are saying his deeds will stay forever. People of Zimbabwe must come in thousands for his burial because he was not only a leader of Binga, but the entire Zimbabwe. We must give him a thorough send off,” he said.

ANDREW SIKAJAYA MUNTANGA

• Buses to ferry Mat North mourners to Harare
• ‘Muntanga a deserving hero’
  

Cde Khaya Moyo said the Muntanga family should derive strength from the fact that their son did not die in vain, but had left a legacy for the nation.
The burial programme starts as early as 7am with the hearse departing One Commando Barracks for Stodart Hall in Mbare where body viewing will take place with President Mugabe leading proceedings.

The body will then be taken to the national shrine for burial.
Meanwhile, condolence messages continued to pour in yesterday with Vice President John Nkomo describing Cde Muntanga as “one of the rare breeds of revolutionaries.”

VP Nkomo said Cde Muntanga would remain an epitome of “a selfless servant” of the people.
“It is with a deep sense of shock and sorrow that I have learnt of his death. He will go down in history as one of the rare breeds of revolutionaries that changed the course of the liberation of Zimbabwe. He also participated in the Lancaster House Independence talks in 1979 as a delegate that led to Zimbabwe’s independence,” he said.

VP Nkomo added: “I salute the sacrifices made by Cde Muntanga, his family and his generation for what they endured for us to enjoy the democracy and freedom they fought for.
“Without sacrifices made by Cde Muntanga’s generation, we would be still experiencing colonial oppression.”
The Zimbabwe National Liberation Supporters Association (ZINALISA) described Cde Muntanga as a “committed patriot and unifier”.

Zinalisa president Cde Collins Gabriel Chipare said: “We pay our condolences to the Muntanga family, the Tonga, Matabeleland North province and indeed the whole people of Zimbabwe on the sad loss of a committed patriotic and unifier of all the people of Zimbabwe.

“We at Zinalisa pledge to carry on with his spirit of unity. Aluta Continua against all forces of divide and rule tactics, sell outs and their cohorts,” he said.
Cde Muntanga left Binga for a seminary in 1958 when he completed standard six.
In 1962, he came back and worked as a store manager at Kariangwe Mission in Binga.

In 1963, Cde Muntanga joined Zapu and in 1966 he was declared persona non grata in Binga.
He spent a year in detention for political reasons.

In 1975, he became a Central Committee member, the first among the Tonga people.
Cde Muntanga worked for Zapu in Zambia and London until he became a member of the powerful Zipra Revolutionary Council.

He was one of the delegates at the Lancaster House Conferences as well as other high-level negotiations in Geneva and Malta.
He was commissar for Matabeleland North Province until 2000 before retiring from politics on medical grounds.

Cde Muntanga is survived by his wife Regina, seven children and six grandchildren.
Transport will be available to carry mourners from usual pick up points in Harare.