Fallen heroes . . .
ZIMBABWE today celebrates and honours gallant sons and daughters who laid down their lives for freedom’s sake. Many were laid at the National Heroes Acre where thousands have over the years congregated to mark the momentous event.
The National Heroes Acre is Zimbabwe's national shrine where national heroes are buried.
It was established in 1980 soon after the independence of the country to honour Zimbabweans who died within and outside the country whilst fighting for the country's independence from the minority rule of Ian Smith and the Rhodesian Front.
Here are some of the gallant fighters who contributed to the freedom.
Josiah Magama Tongogara
Josiah Magama Tongogara (February 5 1938 – December 26 1979) was a commander of the Zanla guerrilla army in Rhodesia. He attended the Lancaster House conference that led to Zimbabwe's independence and end of white minority rule. Numerous people expected him to be the first president of Zimbabwe.
Tongogara was one of several rebel commanders operating from outside of Rhodesia's borders to free the country from white rule.
In 1973 he took over comand mand from Herbert Chitepo of the armed forces of the Zimbabwe African National Union. In 1975, he put down an interior revolt by members of the Manyika tribe and consolidated that control with the assistance of Solomon Mujuru (Rex Nhongo).
Herbert Chitepo
Herbert Wilts hire Haman di she Chi te po( June 151923– March 18 1975) led the Zimbabwe African National Union until he was assassinated on March 1975
Chitepo became the first black citizen of Rhodesia to become a lawyer.
In May 1962, Zapu was banned because of militarism and Chitepo was persuaded to go into voluntary exile to escape possible detention. He became Tanganyika's first African director of public prosecutions. He held this post until December 7 1974, when the Lusaka Accord was signed.
Leopold Takawira
Leopold Takawira (1916–1970) served as the Vice-President of the Zanu after supporting the National Democratic Party (NDP) later the Zapu. Takawira was also known by his totem as “Shumba yekwa Chirumhanzu”.
He was detained in 1964 and confined at first, to Sikhombela prison alongside Joshua Nkomo, Ndabaningi Sithole, Robert Mugabe and Edgar Tekere. After Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom, he was moved to Salisbury Prison where he remained until his death in 1970
Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo
Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (June 19, 1917 – July 1, 1999) was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 1999. He was leader and founder of the Zapu party and a member of the Ndebele people (Kalanga).
He was a trade-union leader, who became president of the banned National Democratic Party and was jailed for ten years by Rhodesia's white minority government. After his release, Zapu contributed to the fall of that government, but then feuded with the rival Zanu group led by Mugabe. Fearing for his life, Nkomo fled the country, before controversially allowing Zapu to merge with Zanu.
He founded and was chief architect of Zannu party in August 1963 in conjunction with Chitepo, Mugabe and Tekere in the Highfields House of Enos Nkala. He spent 10 years in prison after being arrested on June 22 1964 alongside Mugabe, Tekere, Nyagumbo and Takawira for his political activities. While in prison he specifically authorised Chitepo to continue the struggle from abroad as a representative of Zanu.
Edgar Tekere
Edgar Tekere (April 1, 1937 – June 7, 2011), nicknamed “2 Boy”. He was the second and last secretary-general of the Zanu), who organised the party during the Lancaster House talks and served in government before his popularity as a potential rival to Mugabe caused their estrangement. During the war, Tekere served on the Zanu high command, or Dare reChimurenga. He was detained by the Rhodesian government at Gonakudzingwa.
Enos Nkala
Enos Nkala (August 23, 1932 – August 21, 2013) was one of the founders of the Zanu. During the Rhodesian War, he served on the Zanu high command, or Dare reChimurenga as treasurer.
Nkala was detained by the Rhodesian government at Gonakudzingwa for 12 years with the rest of the Zanu PF (formed in Nkala's house in Highfields) leadership, consisting of Sithole, Takawira, Mugabe, Tekere and Morris Nyagumbo.
Robert Gabriel Mugabe
Mugabe (born 21 February 1924) was a revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017.
He chaired Zanu group from 1975 to 1980 and led its successor political party, Zanu PF, from 1980 to 2017.
Ideologically an African nationalist, during the 1970s and 1980s he identified as a Marxist–Leninist, although after the 1990s he was identified only as a socialist. His policies have been described as Mugabeism.
While Mugabe was teaching abroad, an anti-colonialist African nationalist movement was established in Southern Rhodesia.
This was first led by Joshua Nkomo’s Southern Rhodesia African National Congress, founded in September 1957 and then banned by the colonial government in February 1959. This was replaced by the more radically oriented National Democratic Party (NDP), founded in January 1960.
In May 1960, Mugabe returned to Southern Rhodesia, bringing Sally Hayfron, his then wife, with him. The pair had planned for their visit to be short, however Mugabe’s friend, the African nationalist Leopold Takawira, urged them to stay.
Simon Vengai Muzenda
Simon Vengai Muzenda (October 28 1922 – September 20 2003) served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987 and as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1987 to
2003 under Mugabe.
Muzenda was born in Gutu in Masvingo as a son of a peasant farmer, and brought up by his grandmother Mbuya Maweni, who ensured his regular attendance for his primary education at Nyamandi Primary School.
During the settler regime, he endured spells of detention where he was taken to WhaWha in Gweru, Sikombela and Harare, together with other great liberation fighters like Mugabe, Takawira and Morton Malianga. He was part of the delegation that went to the Lancaster House conference.
Rekayi Tangwena
Rekayi Tangwena (c. 1910 – June 11, 1984) was a traditional chief from Zimbabwe's eastern province of Manicaland.
He is well known as the man who helped Mugabe and Tekere cross into Mozambique to join the Zanla guerillas who were waging a fierce bush war against Smith's Rhodesian government.
However, Chief Tangwena was also wellknown for his fierce resistance to having his people evicted from their ancestral lands to make way for white settlers. He continued to resist even after the people's homesteads had been destroyed by settler forces.
Alfred Nikita Mangena
Mangena (March 16, 1943 — June 28 1978), born Rodgers Alfred Mangena in the Maranda area, commanded the Zipra, the militant branch of the Zapu, in the bush war. Mangena led a Zipra uprising against Zapu moderates in 1977 with hundreds of followers in camps in Zambia attacking Zapu headquarters in Lusaka.
Solomon Mujuru
Solomon Mujuru (born Solomon Mutusva; May 5, 1945 – August 15, 2011), also known by his Rex Nhongo, was a military officer and politician who led Mugabe's guerrilla forces during the Rhodesian War. In post-independence Zimbabwe, he went on to become army chief before leaving government service in 1995.
After leaving his post in the Zimbabwe National Army, he got into politics becoming an MP for Chikomba on a Zanu PF ticket. He was generally regarded as one of the most feared men in Zimbabwe.
It was generally thought that Mujuru had a tremendous amount of influence on who would lead Zanu PF and the country. He was the only person believed to have had the stature to challenge Mugabe during party meetings.