MDC Renewal mourns Matamisa, Matimba deaths

The MDC Renewal has  joined all democratic Zimbabweans in mourning the death of comrades Silas Matamisa and Brighton Matimba who are members of the MDC from its formation in 1999.

MDC Renewal Team spokesperson Jacob Mafume said Silas Matamisa was the founding Chairperson of the MDC in Mashonaland West province, as a worker in the then Post and Tele Communications (PTC) he was part of the workers that constituted the ZCTU labour forum for Chinhoyi from 1996.

When the MDC was launched on 11 September 1999 the party appointed Provincial point persons to assist forming the structures in preparations of the launch of the party.

Matamisa was appointed the point person in charge of Mashonaland West, it was in his house where initial meetings were held to plan the roll out of the work in the Province.

Brighton Matimba served as the National Coordinator in charge of the Welfare Department, his work included assisting victims of political violence.

The two like many others were subjected to brutal persecution by the ZANUPF regime, they were both arrested many times, they also received a fair share of state sponsored violence and torture.

Over the past few years the democratic campaign in the country has faced so many huddles, deaths have not spared the struggle as well.

Many dedicated cadres have passed away untimely, the painful part being that we are in a society in which the majority of the citizens are not actively involved in the democratic transformation of our country. Some are interested but scared of the consequences involved in fighting an autocratic regime, the rest have retreated to fatalism. In such a context any person who dedicates their life to fighting dictatorship, envisaging a better socio-economic future for the country should be applauded.In view of this the Renewal Team does not take lightly the efforts of Matimba and Matamisa.

We reproduce the words of George R.R. "My own heroes are the dreamers, those men and women who tried to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or great ones. Some succeeded, some failed, most had mixed results... but it is the effort that's heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who fight the good fight."

Those who remain in the trenches should not betray them by tiring or by turning to the same ways that the two had been fighting for more than a decade but should rather find strength to continue fighting until the wish of the general populace prevails.

"The Renewal Team sends its condolences to their families and the entire democratic community who valued their lives and work. We hope one day society shall be able to attach an epitaph to each of their tombstones "Here lays a Hero he loved his country," Mufume said.

"May their Dear Souls Rest in Eternal Peace."