ZAPU at Fletcher Dulini funeral

Tribute to Fletcher Dulini: Longstanding Fighter for Freedom

Funeral Service - Brethren in Christ Church,

Bulawayo, 20th September 2014

Presentation notes by Dr. Strike Mkandla,

Alternate Secretary General, ZAPU

Mrs. May Dulini and Children

Members of the Dulini (Ncube) and Nkomazana families

Pastors and other religious authorities present

Representatives of the Bulawayo City Council

Esteemed leaders and representatives of political parties present

Civic leaders and various stakeholders present

The entire congregation, ladies and gentlemen

All Protocols Observed!

It is a great honour to speak on behalf of ZAPU, a special chance to say something as well to bid farewell to Comrade Fletcher Dulini whom I have known since I was a young man. We are talking of over 45 years ago, although many of the defining moments seem so recent because they have dominated our view of the world over the years. Let me add quickly too that in addition to representing my party I am also standing here to convey the personal condolences of Dr. Dumiso Dabengwa the ZAPU President who is not in the country as I speak. He was in a special position to know many of the exploits and efforts of members of the underground structures of ZAPU at the critical stages of maintaining a political base and source of conscious cadres for the armed struggle when Fletcher Dulini was a stalwart of the ZAPU Youth League.

When the program of today's service was being drawn up, the organizers took the necessary precaution of reminding us that we should all be brief. I am sure that this advice was meant more for politicians who are second only to preachers in wanting "to say a few words" but in a long way. Now I will start saying my few words!

Indlela yempilo yinye, kodwa siyihamba ngezindlela ezinengi sisiya ndawonye (Life is a one-way street which we must all travel and at different times). We do our best to delay the certain eventuality of death, but what is more important is to leave a stamp of our best efforts to outweigh our failures. The "old youth" who shared the tough experiences of the underground ZAPU are here in numbers today. They are scattered in at least five political formations and others present have taken a break from overt politics. I will take it upon myself to speak for all those whose parties will not have a chance to take the microphone. Cde Dulini valued his friends from the ZAPU underground in spite of their belonging to different currents after being scattered by post-independence political developments, particularly the post-1987 efforts to obliterate memory of our party's independent existence and unique contribution to the liberation of Zimbabwe. This morning we salute the remains of Cde Dulini, because he and other young people provided the cutting edge when ZAPU was changing from reliance on peaceful campaigning and shifting towards meeting fire with fire.  This entailed enormous risk that many comrades were not lucky to survive.

In the interests of time in a packed program, I will briefly say two testimonies that will linger with me and that must be said. The first is what I want to call the "story of two eyes". The first eye I am referring to is that of our late Vice-President Comrade Joseph Msika. At the beginning of 1970 Cde Msika had problems with his eyes while detained in Camp 5 in Gonakudzingwa with ZAPU President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and Comrade Lazarus Mavava Nkala (Cde Stanslous Marembo and the legendary couple of Ruth and Josiah Chinanamo had just been released) . At that point Comrade Msika was whisked away by the colonial Rhodesian authorities of the Ian Smith racist regime and taken for treatment. He was taken back to detention after getting better. Many who saw his good vision after our independence do not know that there was such an incident. The second eye in this testimony is that of Comrade Fletcher Dulini, who did not get an opportunity for treatment while in detention in 2001 in independent Zimbabwe. It has been recalled this week and will probably be recalled several times, that his health never adequately recovered and he gradually lost his eyesight. This in my view is a sad comment on this country's human rights record, where even seasoned fighters for freedom and human dignity can get worse treatment than they got from our old enemies.

The second testimony concerns my visit to Comrade Dulini when he was hospitalized at Premier Hospital following a stroke some months ago. His eyes were covered and I proceeded to tease him as soon as I arrived, saying he should get up and go home instead of lying there. He smiled broadly; so I asked him if he knew who was talking, to which he said "Yes" and called me by name. This was not the surprise. What stunned me was that after waiting a moment he asked, "Abangakibo kaJosiah sowababona na?" (Have you seen and linked up with Josiah's family?") The "old youth" of the ZAPU underground and many who were in ZPRA will know he was referring to the fearless Josiah Jemelele Nkomo who was killed in Mgagao in Tanzania in the late 1970s but who left indelible marks even before going for military training. Comrade Dulini had an unbroken chain of what mattered in our country's past and the fate of his friends from the ZAPU Youth League, even as he fought pain in his body.

Fletcher Dulini was not just a product of his time; he was passionately involved in shaping our times and did not stop to count the cost. To his immediate family and relatives, please accept ZAPU's condolences. More importantly we urge you to be proud that you gave this country a hero. His body may not be covered by a cloth flag, but his flag of honour is to live in the hearts of many comrades who will carry his memory as long as they live.

Farewell Fletcher Dulini Ncube. You held onto the freedom torch from your youth, and cherished your long association with like-minded colleagues from your ZAPU days. Let your life's work be an inspiration for those who value substance over fashionable labels.

I thank you.