Founding ZIPRA Commander dies

Last Updated on Saturday, 11 July 2009 17:39 Saturday, 11 July 2009 13:08

zipra Founding ZIPRA Commander, Akim Ndlovu who passed away on 10 July 2009 was conferred with national hero status and will be buried at the Heroes's acre today. A service was held at Bulawayo's Large City Hall on Friday.

John Nkomo paid tribute to Ndlovu for his selfless contribution as commander of ZIPRA forces.

"Ndlovu gave himself to the liberation of the country. He played an important role in the liberation of Zimbabwe and we must not forget such heroes," said Nkomo. He said Ndlovu deserved to be declared a national hero considering his unwavering stance on the protection of the country's sovereignty.

Ndlovu's brother-in-law, Mr Dennis Ncube, said the family was at a loss of words following the veteran nationalist's death. "Ndlovu was a father, grandfather, friend and, above all, a liberator. He was fending for a lot of people before and after the liberation struggle," he said.

Born in 1932 in Mberengwa, Ndlovu did his primary and secondary education at Masase and Dadaya missions respectively. On leaving school, he worked for Lobels as a clerk, the Ministry of Public Construction and the then Rhodesian Railways.

His political life dates back to 1960, when he joined the National Democratic Party where he became the chairman of the Iminyela branch of the youth wing. He was among the first groups to be recruited for military training and was involved in underground sabotage operations carried out by youths against the settler regime then and was detained by the Special Branch several times but refused to divulge any information pertaining to their activities.

In September 1963, together with former Home Affairs Minister Dumiso Dabengwa, he left for Zambia, then Northern Rhodesia, to join the armed struggle. In 1964 Cde Ndlovu led a group comprising Robson Manyika, Ambrose Mutinhiri, Albert Nxele and Report Mphoko to the former Soviet Union. At the end of their training they met other groups in Zambia, one trained in China consisting of John Maluzo Ndlovu and the other from North Korea with David Mongwa Moyo also known as "Sharpshoot", Nyampingidza.

The following year the Zapu executive led by the late James Chikerema ordered the formation of an army to wage the liberation war, and Ndlovu was appointed commander. Later the same year, Ndlovu ordered two simultaneous deployments of Zipra cadres into Rhodesia for combat operations.

In 1967, Umkhonto we Sizwe the military wing of the African National Congress of South Africa seeking to restrategise, approached Zipra, a development that led to the August 1967 deployment of joint Zipra-Umkhonto we Sizwe forces for the first time.

After independence, he was co-opted as a Member of Parliament for Matabeleland South. At the height of political disturbances in 1982, he left for Zambia and subsequently sought refuge in Norway where he lived until the Unity Accord of 1987. On his return, he was elected into the new Zanu-PF Central Committee where he served briefly before retiring from politics due to ill health.

He survived by wife Sithabiso, three daughters Miriam, Mazonde and Pamela and two sons Sibangilizwe and Dumiso, 14 grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren.

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