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Mai Mujuru consoling the Dube family

Fidelis Munyoro Senior Reporter—
VICE President Dr Joice Mujuru, who had disappeared from the public eye in the wake of her failure to land a Central Committee seat amid a litany of allegations of high-level corruption and abuse of office, yesterday made a whistle-stop appearance at Stodart Hall in Mbare during the body viewing for national hero Cde Lloyd Kotsho Dube. Zanu-PF supporters — who were resplendent in party regalia as they sang and danced to revolutionary songs — booed Dr Mujuru as she left the hall after paying her condolences to the national hero’s family.

It was her first public appearance since missing two Politburo sittings, a Central Committee meeting and the entire Zanu-PF 6th National Peoples Conference as the weight of the allegations she faces, and her rejection not only by Mashonaland Central Province, but also her home district of Mt Darwin weighed down on her.

An apparently downcast Dr Mujuru arrived at Stodart Hall in a blue Toyota Prado accompanied by her daughter, Kuzivakwashe, and joined scores of people who had come for body viewing.

VP Mujuru, who was donning black apparel, neither viewed the body nor took a seat.

She consoled the Dube family and left before President Mugabe’s arrival.

An official in the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services said according to the programme, VP Mujuru was listed as one of the dignitaries for the body viewing ceremony.

“As the Vice President of the country she was supposed to attend the body viewing,” said the official.

VP Mujuru did not also join thousands of people who turned up at the National Heroes Acre for the burial of Cde Dube, who died in his sleep at his Khumalo home in Bulawayo after succumbing to diabetes on Monday last week.

At Stodart Hall, people started gathering as early as 7am for the body viewing ceremony, while others lined up the streets to catch the sight of the hearse carrying Cde Dube’s body.

Zanu-PF youths and Mbare Chimurenga Choir clad in their party regalia sang revolutionary songs praising President Mugabe and denouncing VP Mujuru for her alleged plot to oust the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

Several dignitaries arrived in time for the occasion, while Cde Dube’s relatives arrived shortly before the hearse at around 8:45am.

While there were wild scenes outside the hall as people celebrated the life of Cde Dube, it was a different story inside where there was a sombre atmosphere.

Cabinet ministers and other high-ranking party officials shook hands with the bereaved family members, consoling them.

President Mugabe, who was accompanied by his wife First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe, led the dignitaries, services chiefs and close relatives in body viewing before the body was taken for interment.

At the National Heroes Acres, it was a hive of activity as hordes of people; some of them wearing party regalia, from many walks of life celebrated the life of Cde Dube in song and dance.

Zanu-PF supporters raised banners some of them written: “Hamba Kahle Cde Dube”, “A sagacious, principled, focused and dedicated cadre,” “Go well son of the soil.”

A family representative Dr Daud Athanasius Dube described the veteran nationalist as “a man of wisdom, good behaviour and natural exemplary role model.”

He said his brother subscribed to the philosophy that “one should literary write their obituary”, a thing which Cde Dube did as evidenced by his works and contributions he made for the country.

“As we grew up, your absence from home showed that you had a special and unique calling, that of being a servant of our country Zimbabwe,” said Dr Dube.

Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi said the country lost a cadre who was a huge asset.

“He is a hero,” he said. “He left quite a lot of legacy as the President was saying, he actual has been an icon in many areas such as educational front, liberation front in pre and post-independence.”

Zanu-PF Central Committee member Colonel Tshinga Dube said: “He was a great worker, a dedicated cadre who worked so hard in the UK and America during the liberation struggle”.

Former Zanu-PF Politburo member Cde Abednico Ncube said it was a sad blow to the Dube family and the country at large to lose a man of Cde Dube’s calibre.