Mguni declared liberation war hero

FORMER Home Affairs Deputy Minister and Mangwe MP, Obedingwa Mguni, who died on Tuesday has been declared a liberation war hero and will be buried at his homestead tomorrow.

Mguni (57), who was also the Zanu-PF deputy chief whip and the party's Matabeleland South provincial treasurer, died at West End Clinic in Harare after a short illness on Tuesday. He succumbed to diabetes.

The legislator started coughing while attending Parliament and was rushed to hospital where he later died. In a statement yesterday, Zanu-PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu confirmed that President Mnangagwa had conferred Mguni a liberation war hero status.

"His Excellency, the President and First Secretary to Zanu-PF, Mnangagwa, has conferred a liberation war hero status to the late Obedingwa Mguni who died on June 18, 2019," said Mpofu.

Mguni's daughter, Simphiwe yesterday said her father will be buried at his homestead at Macingwane in Plumtree tomorrow.

Mguni did his primary education at Matole and Silima primary schools in Plumtree and Regina Mundi.  He attended Empandeni Secondary School in Plumtree and Matope as well as Mkushi in Zambia. Mguni joined the liberation struggle at the age of 15.  

In 1976, he went to Zambia and completed his lower sixth at Mkushi College before going to Libya for military training. In 1980, he left army integration and joined teaching until 1986 before he went to South Africa where he worked for the South African government. In 2011 he was back in the country and served as Zanu-PF chairman for Marula Ward. In 2013 he sponsored the Zanu-PF revival drive and was elected Member of Parliament for Mangwe constituency in 2013.

During that year, Mguni was also the party's secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education in Matabeleland South province. He was also a member of the Mines and Energy and the Industry and Commerce Parliamentary Committees.

In 2015 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and was also elected war veterans' chairperson in Matabeleland South before being elected secretary for finance last year and Member of Parliament for Mangwe constituency  From last year, Mguni also served as the Zanu-PF Deputy Chief whip in Parliament and chairperson of the Democratisation and Governance in Sadc Parliament.

Professionally, Mguni began his career as a teacher at Makhulela and Zuzaphi Primary Schools from 1981 to 1989.  He left the teaching profession in 1990 and worked for different companies in Zimbabwe and South Africa.  He had been a businessman since 2005.  

Mguni leaves behind his wife Caroline, a son Bongani and a daughter Simphiwe.