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Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor
THE last gift that National Hero Cde Absolom Sikhosana, buried at the National Heroes Acre in Harare yesterday, left Bulawayo for the duration he was interim chairperson of the province was stability and order in a structure long plagued by internal contradictions.

The Bulawayo structure together with Harare were dissolved by President Mnangagwa in March last year to allow for restructuring that would culminate in the election of substantive provincial structures. As the news of Cde Sikhosana’s death spread on Saturday, one constant in the description by his counterparts in Zanu-PF is how sober he was as a leader who always strived to enforce discipline and unity.

Delivering the news that Cde Sikhosana had been declared a National Hero on the same day that he died, Zanu-PF secretary for administration Dr Obert Mpofu said the National Hero managed to restore harmony in Bulawayo.

“He was a selfless person; this is why the party had asked him to be the acting chairman in Bulawayo despite being a Politburo member. This never happens but with him it did. He was our chairperson and since his appointment, we never heard of any squabbles in Bulawayo. I hope there won’t be any after this,” said Dr Mpofu.

“He was patient with everyone, he never got into squabbles, he was everybody’s friend. During his tenure as Secretary for Youth there were no problems, he guided the youths well, he chided them at the same time moulding them.”

Speaking during Cde Sikhosana’s funeral service in Bulawayo, Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Victor Matemadanda said Bulawayo suffered a double tragedy as it not only lost a senior party cadre but also chairperson who had steadied the party in the province.

He said President Mnangagwa will make an announcement of a replacement after the burial of Cde Sikhosana.

“He was persistent and consistent and for that I think the National Hero status was not conferred on him but he earned it. It was an automatic decision because Cde Sikhosana is a hero par excellence,” said Cde Matemadanda.

The Minister of Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube, also speaking during the funeral service said there was no reason to fight Cde Sikhosana because he was loved by everyone and truly God sent.

Beyond his last gift to Bulawayo, Cde Sikhosana was described as a loyal and dedicated cadre from the time he joined trade unionism to the liberation struggle and later in independent Zimbabwe where he held a number of portfolios in the ruling party.

It was during his stint as Zanu-PF secretary for youth affairs that Cde Sikhosana, affectionately referred to by the youths as “Nkosi” or “Headmaster”, will be mainly remembered as he maintained discipline and unity among the structures.

Presiding over the burial of Cde Sikhosana at the National Shrine yesterday, President Mnangagwa said the party had lost a very humble man, a party stalwart, a patriot and disciplined cadre who served his party and country with the utmost loyalty and unparalleled devotion.

“The man whose body we are about to lay to rest here among the great national heroes of our nation, has a rich and memorable legacy. This is derived from his active participation in the liberation struggle and in the trade unionism during colonial Rhodesia and in the early years of our Independence.

“His indelible leadership of the Zanu-PF national youth league, which he chaperoned for a long time helped to transform it into a formidable vanguard of the ruling party . . . His passion was working with the youths, sharing experiences he acquired during his participation in the liberation struggle. It is no wonder that the late Cde Sikhosana spent many years between 1989 and 2014 serving within the youth league,” said President Mnangagwa.

“During this period, he served in the youth league with other distinguished luminaries of our nation such as the late Cde Ernest Kadungure and Cde Josiah Tungamirai. In the Zanu-PF youth league, he was a stabilizing personality that helped mould and instill patriotism, unity and discipline among party youths.

“His clarion call to the youths as the vanguard of the revolution was to remind them that the political independence without economic freedom was hollow. Hence, he kept driving the point that youths have a key responsibility to participate in all sectors of the economy for sustainable development which leaves no one behind.

“A principled and loyal cadre, who served persistently, and consistently and never wavering, the late Cde Sikhosana was a fearless and selfless cadre who put the interests of the party and country ahead of his own interests. He cherished peace, unity and development, both in the party and the nation as a whole.”

President Mnangagwa said when Cde Sikhosana was appointed acting Bulawayo provincial chairperson to lead the party during the restructuring exercise, he knew that the National Hero was equal to the task. “He was unifier who commanded the respect of the province and beyond. His departure is a loss to the party and our nation. I challenge the youth to emulate the exemplary character of servant leadership exhibited by our late National Hero,” he said.

The President also urged those in the trade unions to take a leaf from yesteryear trade unionists like Cde Sikhosana to promote the national interest and workplace harmony ahead of everything else as they represent workers.

The best way to honour Cde Sikhosana’s legacy therefore would be to emulate all his great qualities with Bulawayo in particular carrying on from where he left in terms of harmony in the party.