Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
The Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs, Cde Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo, has said one’s status is not determined by their place of burial as heroes have the same status. Speaking at the burial of the late liberation war hero and Zanu-PF national consultative member, Cde Phineas Muchena, at the Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre yesterday, Cde Moyo also encouraged war veterans to be united.
“I always hear people saying if a person is a hero why are they not buried at the National Heroes Acre. Let me explain what makes one a hero, it is being honoured and getting the gun salute.
“Abantu bayagada besiya e Harare belanda igun salute, (People go to the National Heroes Acre in Harare just for the gun salute), that is what is important,” she said.
“A provincial hero is the same as that hero buried at the national shrine, the difference is the location only.” Cde Moyo encouraged unity among war veterans and said squabbles must be resolved amicably.
“There are some people with their personal differences or hatred who try to take away the hero status of some comrades, it doesn’t work that way. We must work together and always try to put our differences aside,” she said.
Cde Moyo encouraged the surviving war veterans to write their own history like Cde Muchena whose life history was clearly outlined in the records. Scores of people turned up for the burial of Cde Muchena who died last Friday.
Born on February 15, 1932, in Muchena village in Mutare District, Cde Muchena started his political career in 1957 when he joined the then African National Council (ANC) under the leadership of the late VP Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.
He played a major role in the ANC youth wing and participated in the mobilisation of youths to take up the arms against the Rhodesian government.
In 1960 when the ANC collapsed and was replaced by the National Democratic Party (NDP), Cde Muchena was elected the party’s youth chair for Mayihlome district until the party was banned a year later.
When Zapu was formed in 1961, Cde Muchena continued to hold the same post.
In 1963, he was arrested and detained for mobilising more than 300 workers under a trade union for engineers to strike over unfair working conditions for blacks.
He also played a major role as taskforce member during unity talks between PF-Zapu and Zanu-PF that culminated in the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987.
Between 1996 and 2005, Cde Muchena held the post of chairman for Zanu-PF in Mayihlome district before he was later elected a member of the provincial executive committee for Bulawayo. At the time of his death, Cde Muchena was a member of the ruling party’s National Consultative Assembly.