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will continue to work towards enhan-cing the lives of its people, Acting President John Nkomo has said.
Addressing thousands of mourners at national hero Cde Corneous Nhloko’s burial here yesterday, the Acting President said economic indigenisation re-mained firmly on the agenda.
Cde Nhloko died in a fire at his farm in Wozoli, Silobela, last week and was declared a national hero.
Acting President Nkomo said the widely-discredited embargo was an act of aggression against the people of Zimbabwe and the West should stop meddling in the country’s internal affairs.
The removal of 35 individuals from the list, he said, would not bring any comfort to the people of Zimbabwe and was a meaningless gesture.
Zimbabwe instead, simply wanted recognition from the West as a sovereign state, Acting President Nkomo said.
“Zimbabwe will forge ahead, whatever palliative measures come from Europe and America.
“Why is it so difficult for Europe to simply swallow their pride and have those odious sanctions remo- ved?
“They are illegal. They are unjustified.
“They are inhuman and an act of aggression against our people. They will not break us so why cling to the punitive, illegal, undeserved and futile sanctions?
“We are not asking for their resources. We are simply asking to be left alone.
“Surely we deserve that right to be left alone to chart our own destiny using what we own as a people – not this imperious attitude we see displayed by these Westerners who think we are their political wards,” he said.
Acting President Nkomo said treme-ndous progress had been made to regain control of natural resources.
In Cde Nhloko, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Victor Mlambo, the Acting President said Zimbabwe had lost a selfless cadre and one of the pioneers of the liberation struggle.
He described his death as “painful and excruciating”.
“Even more devastating are the circumstances of his death.
“He died a violent and painful death from an engulfing fire accidentally set.”
The Acting President said despite his academic prowess, Cde Nhloko chose to fight the racist Smith regime.
“Corneous chose a different destiny, a tempestuous destiny of struggle. A year after his studies, he left for Zambia to join the liberation struggle.
“He served his country and people consistently, persistently and honourably. He never deviated,” he said.
Cde Nhloko was born on June 13, 1948 in Gweru and attended the then Lower Gwelo Mission and Solusi College.
He left Zimbabwe for Zambia in 1967 – just a year after the Second Chimurenga started – and received military training in Russia.
In 1974 he was appointed head of intelligence for Zipra.
He returned home in 1979 and was appointed an intelligence officer in the President’s Department and, because of his hard work, rose through the ranks to become assistant intelligence officer in 1986 when he was appointed head of the counter-subversion unit for Harare Province.
In 1992 he was appointed liaison officer to Lagos, Nigeria.
He returned in 1996 and continued to serve in the intelligence community before being transferred to the organisation’s Training Academy.
Several Government Ministers, Zanu-PF Politburo members and ser-vice chiefs joined thousands of people at Cde Nhloko’s burial.
He is survived by his wife Irene, three children and five grandchild- ren.