The Sunday Mail (Zimbabwe)

Sithole family applauds President Mnangagwa

- Senior Reporter

THE family of late nationalis­t Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole has officially thanked President Mnangagwa for bestowing national hero status on him

This comes a week after the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, confirmed that Rev Sithole and Cde James Chikerema were officially added to the hall of fame of liberation heroes.

In a statement, the Ndabaningi Sithole Foundation hailed President Mnangagwa for the decision, saying the path he has chosen will further unite the country.

The Ndabaningi Sithole Foundation is an organisati­on started by the Sithole family in honour the late nationalis­t.

“The Ndabaningi Sithole Foundation applauds the President for his Statesman courage towards truth telling. Truth, justice, and forgivenes­s are the true basis of reconcilia­tion and restoring the dignities of vilified families, healing of the nation and forging Zimbabwe’s way to a united country,” the statement reads.

The family said they are ready to welcome representa­tives from Government, if there is any need, to discuss processes that usually follow the conferment of national hero status posthumous­ly.

“. . . we are happy that the President has taken the first invaluable step towards truth and understand­ing of the internal upheavals in the last phase of our struggle for liberation, 1974 to 1979,”the statement added.

Reverend Sithole died in 2000 at the age of 80. In his Heroes Day address President Mnangagwa said conferment of national hero status to Rev Sithole and Cde Chikerema marks the beginning of a process of correcting past wrongs.

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