Zapu plunged into mourning again

ZAPU has again been plunged into mourning following the death of its top official, secretary for health Nikela Ndebele, less than a month after the demise of party leader Dumiso Dabengwa.

Ndebele, a medical doctor in Bulawayo, died on Wednesday morning after battling an undisclosed illness, party spokesperson Iphithule Maphosa confirmed yesterday.

The late Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (Zpra) ex-combatant had been admitted at a private hospital in Bulawayo where he succumbed to the illness.

At the time of his death, he was practicing at the private Galen House Medical Centre in the city.

"He was one of the three partners at Galen House medical facility in Bulawayo. It is a tragedy for the medical fraternity as Galen House also lost its other partner, Dr Ferguson, just this past month," Maphosa said in a condolence message.

"The Zapu family feels the biggest loss at this bereavement as we have lost a committed cadre whose shoes will be impossible to fill. We send our deepest condolences to the Ndebele family, the medical fraternity in Zimbabwe and beyond, and the Zimbabwean nation at large."

Ndebele served as a medical officer under Zipra during the liberation struggle and also in the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) post-independence in the same capacity.

Ndebele was identified and sent for training as a medical practitioner by Zapu during the struggle years. He served Zipra as a medical officer and at independence served as a medical officer at 4th Brigade, Maphosa added.

He later left the army to pursue private practice.