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As the country celebrates the life and works of national heroine and veteran nationalist, the late Cde Shuvai Ben Mahofa, we urge Zimbabweans to heed the clarion call by national leadership to remain united and ensure that the country remains safe for current and future generations. Democracy allows people to differ in ideology and other aspects of life, but that must not distract the country from the broad national agenda of keeping everyone united.

Fomenting disunity is tantamount to betraying the sacrifices made by Cde Mahofa, national heroes and heroines lying at the National Heroes Acre and those who failed to make it to Zimbabwe at independence.

The youths must be bold and refuse to be used by some politicians pursuing selfish agendas and should heed President Mugabe’s call for unity. For, without unity, the country will be unable to stand resolute and defend its heritage that is always under threat from the country’s erstwhile enemies.

Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, while officiating at the burial of Cde Mahofa at the National Heroes Acre yesterday, was spot on. Surely nefarious and unprincipled behaviour of attempting to use the names of national heroes and heroines like Cde Mahofa for divisive politics is a betrayal to the gains of the liberation struggle and should be condemned with the strongest terms.

Cde Mahofa (76), a Zanu-PF Politburo member from Masvingo Province, died last week at Makurira Memorial Clinic after battling poor health for a long time.

She was a dedicated cadre, who remained resolute in her support for national development while in Government, and particularly Masvingo during her tenure as a legislator and Provincial Minister of State for the province.

Cde Mahofa becomes the ninth heroine to be interred at the National Heroes Acre.

Surely her clean record of national service, straightforwardness, trustworthiness and morally uprightness should not be dented by divisional politics that others are seeking to propagate today.

She was an achiever and her political allegiance to the party, Government and the people of Masvingo was beyond reproach and Zimbabweans are urged to honour her by rallying the ethos of unity and nationhood.

The fact that everyone, from church leaders, politicians and ordinary Zimbabweans spoke highly on her national contributions, speaks volumes of the selfless work she did for the country and the province.

We, therefore, urge Zimbabweans to honour her by carrying forward dreams through working hard on the land that the people were given by President Mugabe and Zanu-PF and continue to yield bumper harvests.

Her dream was to see Masvingo becoming a breadbasket of the country through the maximum use of Tokwe Mukosi Dam, and surely the people should keep that dream alive by working hard.

The dominance of the ruling party in Masvingo Province was, in part, made possible by the mass mobilisation capability of leaders like Cde Mahofa. Indeed, Cde Mahofa was a loyal, fervent servant of her party.

It is therefore, most saddening that she is no more.

There is no denying that the ruling party is poorer without one of its longest-serving cadres. It was thus no surprise that President Mugabe conferred national heroine status on her.

We say Rest in Peace daughter of the soil.

You taught us to be unassuming, patriotic, approachable and consistent in serving our country.