A Dance With Father Zimbabwe in Mukarakate
05 JUL, 2020 - 00:07
Forward Nyanyiwa
Correspondent
Sunday Mail
THE sun and the moon seemed to have conspired to plunge the entire village into total darkness — only stars provided a hint of light that night.
The Grim Reaper had visited our village.
A prominent son of the soil had been transferred to the world yonder to meet his maker.
It was the summer of 1993.
This writer was doing Grade Six at Mutize Primary School in Mukarakate, Murehwa.
Cde Reuben Zemura, a prominent businessman and politician, was no more.
His death on August 3, 1993 in Bulawayo had made headlines, and back in his ancestral home in Mukarakate, it was all everyone could talk about.
Entire villages came to a standstill.
The late Cde Zemura was a household name in Magwegwe, Bulawayo, as he was back in our village.
Thus, his demise caused the usually serene environs of Mukarakate to suddenly become a hive of activity, with vehicles going up and down the dusty roads.
On August 8, five days after his death, icy winds that blew in the morning made it an almost wintry day.
But as the sun began to spread its golden rays over the eastern horizon, it brought with it hope of a warmer day, both literally and figuratively.
People from all walks of life in our home area and surrounding villages made a beeline towards the Zemura homestead for the burial of the hero.
He was not only our hero, but he had subsequently been declared a liberation war hero and was supposed to be buried at Marondera Provincial Heroes Acre.
But the late Chief Jonathan Mangwende insisted that he could not be buried at the revered site since, as a first born, he was supposed to be buried at his family homestead as per their “vaNhowe” tradition.
Like veld fire, news had spread that the then Vice President Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo was going to give a eulogy at the burial.
Also known as Father Zimbabwe, the late VP Nkomo was not only coming as a senior Government official to the burial, but as he would later divulge, he was there as a friend.
This was despite their political differences which saw them have a go at each other in a tough contest for Magwegwe constituency in the 1985 general elections in which Father Zimbabwe triumphed.
Burials back then were sacred events — children were not allowed anywhere near the ceremonies.
At the time, the ink on the 1987 Unity Accord between ZAPU and ZANU was still fresh and the topic was part of our studies.
It naturally piqued my interest and forced me to sneak in to witness the burial.
All I wanted was to see the larger-than-life character adoringly referred to as Chibwechitedza by Zimbabweans.
Around mid-morning, the surroundings reverberated.
A deafening noise filled the usually sleepy village. The rumbling increased in tempo with each passing second.
Soon, a huge bird emerged from the sky. It was different from our usual flying game. It was, in fact, a helicopter.
Men, women and the youth suddenly exploded into revolutionary war songs and choreographed dance routines.
Nobody was interested in who was in attendance now; all eyes were fixed on the western side of the Zemura homestead, and from the road leading from Gumbanjera Primary School, the big man himself emerged.
Soldiers in full military gear led the way, their heavy boots flattening dry leaves and small tree branches.
The singing, ululation and clapping became loud.
A billowing dust from the dances filled the whole area and before I could catch the lyrics of the revolutionary song on everyone’s lips at that moment, Father Zimbabwe joined the dance floor.
The singing increased in tempo.
I sneaked away a little bit as the music stopped and everyone sat down, but Chibwechitedza remained standing as he started his eulogy.
Spontaneous bursts of applause punctuated his speech.
Soon, the sound of gunfire thundered throughout the village.
I hid myself behind a parked vehicle. The gunfire exploded in the same fashion a few more times before dying down.
Vice President Nkomo was accompanied by several Government officials, including Air Marshal Henry Muchena.
More than four beasts were slaughtered and sadza came in drums.
And where there is food and drink, villagers are known to push and shove.
This was no different.
I could only watch from a distance lest I got squashed to death.
Twenty seven years later, deputy secretary for the disabled in the Zanu-PF Politburo, Cde Lilian Zemura, a relative of the late Cde Reuben Zemura, vividly recalls the day with a tinge of nostalgia.
“The late Joshua Nkomo was a unifier and father figure. He defied all the animosity of political differences when our country was still in its infancy to build a relationship with my brother, although they came from different political parties.
“Reuben Zemura had a shop in the suburb of Makokoba in Bulawayo near Cde Nkomo’s Blue Lagoon, thus they became friends. This is despite that they competed to represent Magwegwe constituency in the 1985 general elections in which Cde Nkomo won,” narrated Cde Zemura.
The Politburo member said the late Father Zimbabwe showed everyone that we are a people together and for him to visit Mukarakate Village during that time was a sign of good statesmanship.
“During his speech, he narrated how he had befriended Reuben. He reminded us all that politics was not supposed to lead humanity, but vice-versa. He talked at length about the Unity Accord and the need to remain united as Zimbabweans.
“The visit itself was a big statement of his statecraft. He knew no tribe, he knew no political party and he knew no race. He was a true Zimbabwean leader with the flag being his number one garment.”
Mr Wilson Gokoko, a villager in Mukarakate, said Cde Nkomo surprised all and his visit helped to debunk some long mythical theories that he was a tribalist.
“We were surprised to see him in our village. Everyone was happy and the big man could dance. To me and others who followed politics then, we were left convinced that the man was not a tribalist. He was instrumental in uniting a nation,” said Mr Gokoko.
This week marked 21 years since the demise of the man who is one of the pioneers of the Second Chimurenga in the fight for Zimbabwe’s independence.
Continue to rest in power Chibwechitedza; that was a revolutionary dance!
Forward Nyanyiwa
Correspondent
Sunday Mail
THE sun and the moon seemed to have conspired to plunge the entire village into total darkness — only stars provided a hint of light that night.
The Grim Reaper had visited our village.
A prominent son of the soil had been transferred to the world yonder to meet his maker.
It was the summer of 1993.
This writer was doing Grade Six at Mutize Primary School in Mukarakate, Murehwa.
Cde Reuben Zemura, a prominent businessman and politician, was no more.
His death on August 3, 1993 in Bulawayo had made headlines, and back in his ancestral home in Mukarakate, it was all everyone could talk about.
Entire villages came to a standstill.
The late Cde Zemura was a household name in Magwegwe, Bulawayo, as he was back in our village.
Thus, his demise caused the usually serene environs of Mukarakate to suddenly become a hive of activity, with vehicles going up and down the dusty roads.
On August 8, five days after his death, icy winds that blew in the morning made it an almost wintry day.
But as the sun began to spread its golden rays over the eastern horizon, it brought with it hope of a warmer day, both literally and figuratively.
People from all walks of life in our home area and surrounding villages made a beeline towards the Zemura homestead for the burial of the hero.
He was not only our hero, but he had subsequently been declared a liberation war hero and was supposed to be buried at Marondera Provincial Heroes Acre.
But the late Chief Jonathan Mangwende insisted that he could not be buried at the revered site since, as a first born, he was supposed to be buried at his family homestead as per their “vaNhowe” tradition.
Like veld fire, news had spread that the then Vice President Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo was going to give a eulogy at the burial.
Also known as Father Zimbabwe, the late VP Nkomo was not only coming as a senior Government official to the burial, but as he would later divulge, he was there as a friend.
This was despite their political differences which saw them have a go at each other in a tough contest for Magwegwe constituency in the 1985 general elections in which Father Zimbabwe triumphed.
Burials back then were sacred events — children were not allowed anywhere near the ceremonies.
At the time, the ink on the 1987 Unity Accord between ZAPU and ZANU was still fresh and the topic was part of our studies.
It naturally piqued my interest and forced me to sneak in to witness the burial.
All I wanted was to see the larger-than-life character adoringly referred to as Chibwechitedza by Zimbabweans.
Around mid-morning, the surroundings reverberated.
A deafening noise filled the usually sleepy village. The rumbling increased in tempo with each passing second.
Soon, a huge bird emerged from the sky. It was different from our usual flying game. It was, in fact, a helicopter.
Men, women and the youth suddenly exploded into revolutionary war songs and choreographed dance routines.
Nobody was interested in who was in attendance now; all eyes were fixed on the western side of the Zemura homestead, and from the road leading from Gumbanjera Primary School, the big man himself emerged.
Soldiers in full military gear led the way, their heavy boots flattening dry leaves and small tree branches.
The singing, ululation and clapping became loud.
A billowing dust from the dances filled the whole area and before I could catch the lyrics of the revolutionary song on everyone’s lips at that moment, Father Zimbabwe joined the dance floor.
The singing increased in tempo.
I sneaked away a little bit as the music stopped and everyone sat down, but Chibwechitedza remained standing as he started his eulogy.
Spontaneous bursts of applause punctuated his speech.
Soon, the sound of gunfire thundered throughout the village.
I hid myself behind a parked vehicle. The gunfire exploded in the same fashion a few more times before dying down.
Vice President Nkomo was accompanied by several Government officials, including Air Marshal Henry Muchena.
More than four beasts were slaughtered and sadza came in drums.
And where there is food and drink, villagers are known to push and shove.
This was no different.
I could only watch from a distance lest I got squashed to death.
Twenty seven years later, deputy secretary for the disabled in the Zanu-PF Politburo, Cde Lilian Zemura, a relative of the late Cde Reuben Zemura, vividly recalls the day with a tinge of nostalgia.
“The late Joshua Nkomo was a unifier and father figure. He defied all the animosity of political differences when our country was still in its infancy to build a relationship with my brother, although they came from different political parties.
“Reuben Zemura had a shop in the suburb of Makokoba in Bulawayo near Cde Nkomo’s Blue Lagoon, thus they became friends. This is despite that they competed to represent Magwegwe constituency in the 1985 general elections in which Cde Nkomo won,” narrated Cde Zemura.
The Politburo member said the late Father Zimbabwe showed everyone that we are a people together and for him to visit Mukarakate Village during that time was a sign of good statesmanship.
“During his speech, he narrated how he had befriended Reuben. He reminded us all that politics was not supposed to lead humanity, but vice-versa. He talked at length about the Unity Accord and the need to remain united as Zimbabweans.
“The visit itself was a big statement of his statecraft. He knew no tribe, he knew no political party and he knew no race. He was a true Zimbabwean leader with the flag being his number one garment.”
Mr Wilson Gokoko, a villager in Mukarakate, said Cde Nkomo surprised all and his visit helped to debunk some long mythical theories that he was a tribalist.
“We were surprised to see him in our village. Everyone was happy and the big man could dance. To me and others who followed politics then, we were left convinced that the man was not a tribalist. He was instrumental in uniting a nation,” said Mr Gokoko.
This week marked 21 years since the demise of the man who is one of the pioneers of the Second Chimurenga in the fight for Zimbabwe’s independence.
Continue to rest in power Chibwechitedza; that was a revolutionary dance!
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