Mnangagwa mourns Brig-Gen Sambulo Ndlovu

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has described the late Brigadier-General Sambulo Ndlovu as decorated General who served the country with distinction.

Brig Gen Ndlovu died on Tuesday due to Covid-19 related complications at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare and was buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo on Thursday. He was 65.

Brig-Gen Ndlovu was buried in compliance with Covid-19 regulations and as such only a few people were allowed to attend the burial. A military parade, which is usually conducted when a general dies, had to be waived.

In a statement, President Mnangagwa said he was devastated to learn of Brig-Gen Ndlovu's death at a time when the country has just been robbed of another senior military commander and national hero Brig-Gen Ruphus Chigudu. Brig-Gen Chigudu was buried at the National Heroes Acre on Monday.

"His (Brig Gen Ndlovu) passing came as a shock to many of us considering that the nation was still mourning one of the contemporaries from the military establishment, the late national hero Brigadier-General Ruphus Chigudu. A veteran of the armed liberation struggle, the late Brig-Gen Ndlovu, also known by his Chimurenga name Stanely Hlayibeni, will be remembered for his invaluable contribution to the liberation of our motherland, Zimbabwe from the colonial rule," said President Mnangagwa.

He said political activism and participation in the armed liberation struggle were both admirable and exemplary.

President Mnangagwa said Brig-Gen Ndlovu showed his commitment to the struggle in the 1970s when he risked his life by recruiting youths to join the armed struggle.

The youths he recruited joined the liberation struggle under the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) where recruits had to go to Zambia via Botswana. President Mnangagwa said Brig Gen Ndlovu was elevated to the revered Zipra High Command due to his military shrewdness.

"Following his military training in Zambia and advanced military training in the then Soviet Union where he specialised in communications, the late BRIG-Gen Ndlovu was posted in the Northern Front in the then Rhodesia where he directed guerilla warfare occupying the rank of Communications Commander in the ZIPRA High Command structure," said President Mnangagwa.

"After his attestation into the Zimbabwe National Army, the late Brig Gen Ndlovu served the country as a military officer with utmost loyalty and professionalism. He rose through the ranks from General officer to Brig-Gen, a position he held until his retirement from military service in February this year."

The President added: "Our nation has lost a decorated general who was recognised for the different roles he played during his life symbolised by the medals he received namely the Independence Medal, the Liberation Medal, the Service Medal, the Mozambique Campaign Medal, the Democratic Republic of Congo Campaign Medal and the Commander of the Zimbabwe Order of Merit Award."

President Mnangagwa said Brig-Gen Ndlovu's death was not just a loss to his family but the nation at large. He was born in Matshetsheni in Gwanda District, Matabeleland South in 1955.

He did his primary education at Shake primary School in 1961 to 1968 but could not proceed to secondary education as his parents could not afford the fees.

He pursued a career in carpentry attending Mlezu Agricultural Institute near Kwekwe in 1969 to 1971. He conducted his practical training at Midlands Construction Company, which contributed to his political activism leading to his joining national politics and subsequently joining the armed struggle.

Brig Gen Ndlovu is survived by wife Mrs Sarah Ndlovu and six children.