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Sikhumbuzo [email protected]

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has conferred Liberation Heroine status to a loyal and long-serving Zanu-PF cadre Cde Maria Sithole who died on Friday last week after a short illness.
She was 81.

“His Excellency, the President and First Secretary of ZANU (PF), Cde E.D. Mnangagwa has conferred a Liberation Heroine status to the late Cde Maria Sithole who died on 6th December 2024. She will be buried at Khangela Village under Ngqoya in Tsholotsho. I shall be most grateful if you would make the usual arrangements for payment of benefits to her family. She is from Matabeleland North Province,” wrote Zanu-PF secretary-general Dr Obert Mpofu in his letter addressed to the Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), Dr Martin Rushwaya.

Before Independence Cde Sithole risked her life and that of her family by constantly supplying medical equipment to Zipra combatants, a spirit which touched her youngest brother Jorbert to cross the border and join the liberation struggle.
From independence Maria was an active member of PF-Zapu until the 1987 Unity Accord between the two liberation movements Zapu and Zanu. She has been a very active ruling party member since, especially in the Women’s League.
Cde Sithole was the first born in her family and had six siblings, Maina, Jeffrey Zilindo, the twins Peter Chena and Ernest, Borman, and the last Jobert who are all late.

She did her primary school from Sub Standard A to Standard 3 at Sasedza School in Tsholotsho, after which she moved to Helemu Primary School, Njube, Bulawayo, for Standard 4 in 1962, finishing Standard 6 in 1964. At Helemu Maria was a prolific netball player. After Standard 6 she did a Nurse Aid course at Mnene Mission Hospital in Mberengwa.

Cde Sithole is survived by seven children, four boys and four girls, 14 grandchildren 11 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
“We are grateful to the ruling party for the conferment of liberation heroine status to Maria. She has been an active member of the party since 1987 and before then, Maria was actively involved with Zapu, showing that she was indeed a tried and tested politician. To our family, she was more than a mother, child, sister, or aunt, she was everything. She embodied a spirit of unity and had an ever-ready listening ear,” said family spokesperson Mr Nkosilathi Sibanda.

There will be a funeral service at her Emakhandeni house (3416) tomorrow before the body is taken to her rural home in Tsholotsho for burial on Sunday.