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Enos Nkala declared a national hero, to be buried in Harare
24 Aug 2013 at 05:32hrs | Views
ZANU-PF founding member and former Defence and Home Affairs Minister Enos Nkala and freedom fighter Air Commodore (Retired) Mike Karakadzai, who died this week, have been declared national heroes.Air Cdre Karakadzai died in a car crash on Tuesday on his way to Bulawayo, while Nkala died the following day at a private clinic in Harare.
Speaking to journalists after the party's Politburo meeting in Harare last night, Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity Rugare Gumbo said the burial of the two heroes was tentatively set for tomorrow.
"We were looking at the status of the two people who have died in the last few days.
"We were looking at the death of Enos Nkala, one of those gallant fighters of the nationalist struggle and we also looked at Air Cdre Mike Karakadzai, general manager of the National Railways of Zimbabwe.
"Both of them have been unanimously endorsed as qualifying for national hero status and will be buried at the national shrine.
"We still need to talk to the families, but the consensus is that perhaps they should be buried on Sunday morning largely because of the commitments that His Excellency has in the next few days. But we are still going to consult with the families."
Gumbo said national hero status was bestowed upon the two in recognition of the role they played during the liberation struggle.
"They made a major contribution first of all to the liberation of Zimbabwe as well as developing the country," he said.
"For instance, in the case of Enos Nkala, he was the founder of the National Democratic Party as well as Zimbabwe African National Union in 1960 and 1963, respectively.
"They were incarcerated and harassed together with His Excellency (President Mugabe) in Sikombela, Harare and many other places, so it was felt that he deserved to be considered as a national hero.
"As for Air Cdre Karakadzai, he was a Zanla fighter in Mozambique and he came back and he was in the Air Force of Zimbabwe and later joined the National Railways of Zimbabwe.
"He did a superb job at NRZ. He died while he was re-organising the National Railways of Zimbabwe."
Nkala was one of the founders of Zanu as the party was formed at his house, 4449 Highfield, Harare, in 1963.
Speaking to journalists after the party's Politburo meeting in Harare last night, Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity Rugare Gumbo said the burial of the two heroes was tentatively set for tomorrow.
"We were looking at the status of the two people who have died in the last few days.
"We were looking at the death of Enos Nkala, one of those gallant fighters of the nationalist struggle and we also looked at Air Cdre Mike Karakadzai, general manager of the National Railways of Zimbabwe.
"Both of them have been unanimously endorsed as qualifying for national hero status and will be buried at the national shrine.
"We still need to talk to the families, but the consensus is that perhaps they should be buried on Sunday morning largely because of the commitments that His Excellency has in the next few days. But we are still going to consult with the families."
"They made a major contribution first of all to the liberation of Zimbabwe as well as developing the country," he said.
"For instance, in the case of Enos Nkala, he was the founder of the National Democratic Party as well as Zimbabwe African National Union in 1960 and 1963, respectively.
"They were incarcerated and harassed together with His Excellency (President Mugabe) in Sikombela, Harare and many other places, so it was felt that he deserved to be considered as a national hero.
"As for Air Cdre Karakadzai, he was a Zanla fighter in Mozambique and he came back and he was in the Air Force of Zimbabwe and later joined the National Railways of Zimbabwe.
"He did a superb job at NRZ. He died while he was re-organising the National Railways of Zimbabwe."
Nkala was one of the founders of Zanu as the party was formed at his house, 4449 Highfield, Harare, in 1963.
Source - herald
