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Cde Nkomo urged Zimbabweans across the political divide to guard jealously the gains of independence that Cde Mabhena fought tirelessly for.
In his brief graveside speech at Lady Stanley Cemetery yesterday, the Vice-President said Cde Mabhena was a true nationalist whose deeds deserved the honour that he was conferred with.
“Cde Mabhena was writing his own history through his deeds. He sacrificed a lot for this country’s liberation that we might have dominion over the land called Zimbabwe and everything that is in it. For that reason, we are bound to thank him for the good work he has done and the legacy that he left us as a country.

“It is our collective responsibility as a nation, therefore, to guard jealously the gains of the hardwon independence that he and other gallant sons and daughters of the land sacrificed their lives for,” said the Vice-President.

He added that it was important for people to appreciate that they have dominion over the earth and everything that was in it and should carefully utilise God-given natural resources bearing in mind that there were people such as Cde Mabhena who fought for the ownership of such resources.

It was, however, the late national hero’s family that stole the limelight, challenging leaders from Matabeleland to unite across political persuasions and push forward with the late nationalist’s vision to bring development to the region. Speaker after speaker at the funeral service at the UCCSA Church in Njube hammered on the need for the leaders to work as a team and to have a common goal, which is to inspire a vision for development in a region, they said, is underdeveloped. Family spokesperson Mr Norman Mabhena challenged the Matabeleland leaders to come together to discuss the challenges faced by the people in the region.

“It is important that as a nation we come together and be united and find out why is it so difficult for us the leaders of this region to unite and work together,” he said.
“We should discuss the issues affecting this region. The problem is that when we go to Parliament, we go there to get riches. This is a serious challenge to the leadership. I want to remind all leaders here that umbuso ngamazolo (leadership positions are not forever), and the children of today will not accept that.One day you will get zero votes in elections, I tell you.” He said it is incorrect to say the Mabhena family refused that the late nationalist be accorded hero status.

“I didn’t refuse that Mabhena be a national hero. What I said is that he was in politics before some of the members of the current Politburo were born and was therefore a national hero,” he said.
“Sathi thina nxa lani likubone kanjalo siyakwamukela (If you also see it that way, then we accept that).
“But we insisted that we would follow the Mabhena rituals in his burial. He said when he dies he should not be buried in Salisbury (Harare). No person was going to change that.”
Mr Mabhena said the family was aware of its heroism and did not need anyone to confirm that.

“We are in our own right veteran politicians. We don’t apologise for that and whether you recognise it or not that does not change,” he said.
“Mabhena spoke what he wanted. He was labelled a tribalist because he complained that primary schoolchildren in Matabeleland cannot be taught by Shona speakers who cannot speak IsiNdebele, because he complained that police officers deployed in rural Matabeleland should speak isiNdebele so that the old women can understand.”

A family friend, Advocate S. K. Mbuso Sibanda, said Cde Mabhena was a man of truth. “He said it as it is. He was not liked even in Zapu during our days because of his love for telling the truth,” he said. A spokesperson for the church, Mr Moffat Ndlovu, said Cde Mabhena was born in Christianity and was a great preacher.
“He was a great preacher and preached in the UCCSA Church,” he said.

“It is said that one day when he was preaching at eZinyangeni (Nkayi) whites came to arrest him.
“He was in the middle of preaching and he told the white officers that ‘Excuse me, can’t you see that I am preaching?’
“It is said that on that day Mabhena preached until the sun went down. They say he preached as if possessed and was now mixing the gospel and politics.”
Mr Ndlovu said the late Mr Mabhena played an important role in moving the UCCSA Church from white administration to black administration.
“He worked hard to change this church from the whites to the blacks,” he said.

“With his team, they worked real hard otherwise this church could have collapsed. I want to tell you that he is the man who inspired everyone when the idea to build this church was brought up.
“We ate a lot of his cattle when we organised meetings. On Sunday before he died, Mr Mabhena came to church in Famona, as sick as he was, and took the sacrament like everyone else and then greeted everyone.”

Ninety-three-year-old Chief Sivalo Mafu said: “I am glad all these people are here and they have heard about the heroism of Mabhena.
“I knew him since he was a young man. I remember his heroism especially in the dark days of our history.”
Cde Mabhena was born on June 26, 1924 at Zinyangeni in Nkayi and attended Zinyangeni Primary School before proceeding to Inyathi Mission. He later returned home to teach at Inyathi Mission School before joining politics.

A shoemaker by profession, he was involved in politics and spent th e17 years between 1962 and 1979 in jail.
He attained an Advanced Level certificate and the Fellowship of the Association of Certified Bookkeepers of South Africa.
He later attained a Bachelor of Commerce degree with the University of South Africa (Unisa). After independence in 1980, he became the chairperson of the Nkayi Rural District Council.
In 1985, he was elected Member of Parliament for Nkayi constituency on a PF-Zapu ticket.

At the time he was the secretary-general of the party and in 1987 after the birth of the united Zanu-PF, Cde Mabhena became Matabeleland North provincial chairman. In 1990, Cde Mabhena, who was the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, was appointed Minister of State for Political Affairs.
During that time, he was Zanu-PF Politburo member, holding the portfolio of secretary for transport and welfare. He was later appointed Governor for Matabeleland North, a post he held until he retired in July 2000.

Cde Mabhena is survived by his wife, Rebecca, three children, 12 grandchildren and two great- grandchildren.