Jabulani Sibanda slams Zanu-PF

THE chairman of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Jabulani Sibanda, has reprimanded Zanu-PF Bulawayo province for failing to push for the late Barnabas Mpofu's national hero status as he listed numerous examples of deserving veterans who were overlooked.

Sibanda was speaking at the burial of Mpofu, 79, who succumbed to renal failure on Friday and was laid to rest at the Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre yesterday.

"Mpofu deserves to be at the National Heroes' Acre. I don't understand why the province failed to apply for national hero status for him," said Sibanda.

He said provincial officials should have compiled Mpofu's heroic history supported by documents like news articles written about him before independence in 1980 and sent them to the Politburo to decide.

"Mpofu's history speaks for its self. He trained in 1963 and was among the pioneers of the armed struggle. We are burying a national hero at the Provincial Heroes Acre," said Sibanda.

The war veterans' leader went on to list a number of individuals who distinguished themselves while fighting for the country's independence, saying they deserved to be declared national heroes but had been ignored.

"We have Samuel Munodawafa buried in Masvingo, Sheba Takavarwisa also in Masvingo, Jimmy Ntuta at Hyde Park cemetery and Jirira who was buried at Chitomborwizi. All these comrades must be at the National Heroes' Acre," he said.

Sibanda told mourners how the late Mpofu, whose Chimurenga name was Paradzayi Gondai, together with other six fighters, escaped from Gweru Maximum prison in 1973 and returned back to Zambia to continue with the liberation struggle.

"Mpofu and five others used teaspoons to dig their way out of Gweru Central Prison. They evaded a massive Rhodesian security forces operation to capture them and went back to Zambia where they continued with the struggle," he said.

Zanu-PF Bulawayo Chairman Callistus Ndlovu, yesterday said Mpofu's name did not ring a bell.

He added that the province gets documentation on one's contributions from the war veterans' themselves and then sends the recommendation to the Politburo.

"War veterans' themselves originate the write-up where they describe his contributions towards the struggle and we make recommendations' to the Politburo. Most probably they submitted these things late," said Ndlovu.

The Rhodesia Herald of September 25, 1973, in an article headlined "Hunt for dangerous goal breakers" described a massive search for Mpofu and his fellow comrades after the jail break and said residents fled from their homes following the escape.

They are alleged to have cut a hole in their prison wall and their escape was discovered at 1AM.

"The prisoners are dangerous and any person with information regarding their whereabouts is requested to contact the nearest police station," the police were quoted as saying.

"Road blocks were set up on all main roads-manned in some cases by heavily armed police- and all travellers were stopped," the Rhodesia Herald added.

Mpofu was trained in Morogoro, Tanzania and the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and was a senior intelligence officer.

As a senior intelligence officer, he gathered military and political intelligence which helped fighters to successfully wage the war against the Ian Smith regime.

He was also deployed on a number of operations inside the country.

Mpofu's sister, Tracy Tshuma, said the war hero could not secure employment after independence due to the injuries he sustained during the war.

"After the war he was demobilised and failed to secure employment because of the injuries. He was, however, always jovial and eager to tell his war experiences," said Tshuma.

Mpofu is survived by his wife Sarudzayi, seven children and several grandchildren.