Mnangagwa honours late former co-VP Mphoko with conferment of national hero status

HARARE
–
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
has
accorded
late
former
Vice
President
Phekelezela
Mphoko
national
hero
status,
as
he
penned
a
moving
eulogy
of
a
politician
he
once
shared
the
post
of
Vice
President
with.

Mphoko,
Zimbabwe’s
co-vice
president
from
10
June
2014
to
November
2017,
died
aged
84
on
Friday
after
a
long
illness.

Leading
the
tributes
was
Mnangagwa
who
said
Mphoko
is
one
of
the
country’s
biggest
luminaries
of
the
liberation
struggle.

In
a
statement
to
bestow
the
former
nationalist
with
the
highest
honour
of
the
land,
Mnangagwa
dedicated
generous
amounts
of
praise
for
Mphoko.

He
concluded
in
his
statement,
“In
recognition
of
his
meritorious
role
of
service
to
his
country,
both
before
and
after
Independence,
the
Zanu
PF
Politburo
has
unanimously
decided
and
agreed
to
celebrate
and
immortalize
his
life
of
sacrifice
by
according
him
the
Status
of
National
Hero.”

READ
FULL
STATEMENT
BELOW:

I
learnt
this
afternoon
with
a
deep
sense
of
grief
and
sadness
of
the
passing
on
of
our
former
Vice
President,
Ambassador
Report
Phelekezela
Mphoko,
after
a
long
illness.

A
veteran
of
our
Liberation
Struggle,
Cde
Mphoko’s
political
and
military
history
coincides
with
the
early
days
of
militant
nationalism
against
white
settler
colonialism
which
later
morphed
into
the
armed
Liberation
Struggle
of
which
he
was
among
its
early
architects,
brave
fighters
and
crop
of
formative
and
outstanding
commanders.
With
his
sad
departure,
our
Nation
has
lost
yet
another
stalwart
of
the
Liberation
Struggle
whose
contribution
to
our
hard-won
Independence
can
hardly
be
overstated.

Trained
in
many
countries,
including
in
the
then
Soviet
Union,
Cde
Mphoko
specialized
in
logistics,
an
onerous
and
sensitive
responsibility
which
ensured
huge
consignments
of
assortments
of
arms
of
war
were
moved
to
different
bases
in
the
rear,
and
to
the
war
front
inside
the
country,
in
order
to
maintain
the
momentum
of
the
Armed
Liberation
Struggle
and
to
exert
ever
mounting
pressure
on
the
settler
regime
until
final
victory.

A
versatile
cadre,
Cde
Mphoko
would
later
join
ZAPU’s
liaison
department,
a
role
which
took
him
to
Maputo,
Mozambique,
where
the
then
ZANU
was
headquartered.

We
worked
very
closely
with
him,
in
the
process
laying
groundwork
and
anticipating
the
eventual
convergence
of
the
two
liberation
movements
into
the
Patriotic
Front.
It
was
this
early
exposure
to
diplomacy,
moulded
in
the
crucible
of
the
Liberation
Struggle
which
prepared
him
for
his
long
career
in
the
diplomatic
service
after
our
Independence.

It
was
an
illustrious
career
which
peaked
with
his
appointment
as
Zimbabwe’s
ambassador
to
various
key
countries,
including
the
Russian
Federation.
His
appointment
as
Vice
President
of
our
Nation
was
both
deserved
and
consistent
with
his
sacrifice
and
long
service
to
his
people
who
today
grieve
and
mourn
his
untimely
departure.

After
his
service
in
Government,
he
continued
to
work
with
the
Party,
including
lending
his
unqualified
support
to
our
most
recent
Harmonised,
Elections
held
in
2023.

On
behalf
of
the
Party
ZANU
PF,
Government,
my
Family
and
on
my
behalf,
I
wish
to
express
my
deepest,
heartfelt
condolences
to
the
Mphoko
Family,
especially
to
Mrs
Mphoko
and
the
children,
on
this
their
saddest
loss.
As
they
go
through
the
motions
of
grief,
may
they
derive
solace
from
the
knowledge
that
we
mourn
and
stand
with
them
in
this
darkest
hour,
always
recalling
with
awe
and
admiration
the
huge
and
selfless
contribution
which
Cde
Mphoko
made
towards
Zimbabwe’s
Independence
and
subsequent
development
after
1980.

In
recognition
of
his
meritorious
role
of
service
to
his
country,
both
before
and
after
Independence,
the
Zanu
PF
Politburo
has
unanimously
decided
and
agreed
to
celebrate
and
immortalize
his
life
of
sacrifice
by
according
him
the
Status
of
National
Hero.

May
his
dear
Soul
rest
in
eternal
peace.