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Angela Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter

LIBERATION struggle and former Zapu official Dauti Salatiel Mabusa has died.

He was 82.

The war veteran who contributed immensely to the liberation struggle died in his sleep at his home in Hertford Farm outside Bulawayo last Friday.

While his family could not be reached for comment, Zanu-PF Politburo member and Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and

Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, confirmed his death.

She described the late liberation war fighter as a father figure who played a vital role in motivating the youth during the struggle and as a role model whom she looked up to.

“He is one of the great men who worked very hard.

After Independence and we always worked well together. Mabusa was a cheerful person, with reasoning, in terms of knowing why people had a reason to fight for this country,” she said.

“He was someone who wished and fought for the development of Zimbabwe.

I still remember Joshua Nkomo’s words, which Mabusa would emphasise on, ‘impi yenkululeko ilula kodwa eyozomnotho inzima kakhulu, ifuna abantu abazimiseleyo’ (the liberation war is easier than the economic war because the later needs determined people).”

Born on March 21 in 1940 at Garanyemba in the Gwanda District, Mabusa was the son of Pastor Makhetho Matshaphu (Mpuratshaphu) of the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) and Rhoda Mafumisa Ncube.

He did his primary at Betsa Primary School that was run by the AFM and his secondary at Gobadema Mission also run by the AFM and that was where he got exposed to political literature.

Former war veterans minister Zanu-PF Politburo member, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube described the late as a dedicated organiser who contributed immensely during the struggle.

“He was hard working and very active. His life, however, evolved around jails and detentions until his final release in the 1980s,” he said.

“He worked a lot with Zapu, organising guerrillas and assigning them and he showed great leadership during the war and even after Independence, he continued serving under Zapu.

“In 2020 he penned a book titled ‘Dauti Salatiel Mabusa: Enduring Memories of Zimbabwe’s Struggle for Independence’, where he documented his life and journey during the liberation struggle,” said Cde Dube.

(Read full obituary on Page 4)