Zimbabwe funeral for Elias Kanengoni, the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO). Vice-President Joice Mujuru consoles the widow of this official., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Let’s be peaceful, tolerant — Mujuru
Tuesday, 28 May 2013 00:00
Lloyd Gumbo Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWEANS should conduct themselves peacefully as the country moves towards harmonised elections, Acting President Joice Mujuru has said. She was speaking at the burial of Central Intelligence Organisation Deputy Director (Internal) and national hero Cde Elias Kanengoni at the National Heroes Acre yesterday.
Cde Kanengoni, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Kudzonga Mabhunu, died at West End Hospital in Harare last week following a short illness.
“As the nation moves towards elections, let us conduct ourselves in the same peaceful manner that we exhibited during the Constitution-making process and just-held referendum.
“I appeal to you all to take heed of the wise counsel of His Excellency, the President, on the need to be tolerant, open-minded and live in peace with each other, despite our different political persuasions.”
The Acting President said the most befitting homage the nation could pay to Cde Kanengoni was to ensure that the country remained secure in the face of regime change machinations aimed at destabilising it.
“Over the last 10 years, our focus has been on deflecting multifaceted regime change efforts aimed at destablising our nation.
“Cde Kanengoni is counted among the many men and women intelligence officers whose operational skills were deployed to counter persistent threats to the country’s sovereignty and national integrity.”
Acting President Mujuru said the death of Cde Kanengoni came as a great shock to the nation, especially following that of Major General Jevan Maseko (Retired) who was buried at the national shrine on Sunday.
She said Cde Kanengoni was an outstanding personality who left an indelible mark in the annals of Zimbabwe’s history.
As a beneficiary of the land reform programme, Cde Kanengoni had become a successful farmer who was motivated by the desire to dispel the notion that black farmers were incompetent, said Acting President Mujuru.
“Accordingly, I would like to challenge all beneficiaries of the land reform programme to emulate the diligence and commitment demonstrated by Cde Kanengoni,” she said.
“His contribution to the nation was not only limited to security, but also to agricultural development and food security.”
Cde Kanengoni was born on December 25, 1953 in Mazowe.
He got employed at Saltrama Plastics as a printing assistant in 1972, but left the employment in 1975 to join the liberation struggle after witnessing segregation being practiced by the minority white Rhodesian settler regime at his workplace and other spheres of life.
He stayed briefly at Nyadzonia Camp where he survived a brutal Rhodesian attack and later moved to Doroi Camp.
Cde Kanengoni was among the first group of 750 liberation fighters who went to Tanzania for military training in 1976.
In December 1977, he was appointed Military Intelligence Instructor at Chamimuka Zanla Intelligence Headquarters in Mozambique.
He later served as deputy head of analysis at Chaminuka Zanla Headquarters of Security and Intelligence in February 1978.
From June to November 1979, Cde Kanengoni received training in Security Intelligence at the Police Training College of Sihala in Ravapindi, Pakistan.
He returned to Mozambique where he rose through the ranks to become a detachment commander.
On January 27, 1980, Cde Kanengoni returned to Harare as part of the security team which protected the Zanu leadership.
After Independence, he was attested into the Zimbabwe Republic Police as an auxiliary patrol officer.
He later resigned from the police force to join the Central Intelligence Organisation and was attested into the President’s Department in 1982.
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