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From George Maponga in Masvingo
former Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union president Mr Silas Hungwe was yesterday buried at his rural home in Dunira Village, Watungwa communal lands in Chivi North. Politicians, senior Government officials, chiefs, village heads and villagers attended the burial. Speaking at the burial, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, challenged Zimbabweans to work towards ensuring that the country attained self-reliance in food production as a way of paying homage to the former long-serving ZFU leader.

Mr Hungwe contributed to the development of Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector. He died on Monday at his Mabelreign home in Harare after a long illness. He was 92.

The former ZFU president was brother to Psychomotor Activities in Education and Vocational Training Minister Josaya Hungwe. Addressing mourners at the burial, VP Mnangagwa hailed the late ZFU leader as a hero who championed the development of Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector before and after the attainment of independence in 1980.

VP Mnangagwa said Mr Hungwe’s dream was for Zimbabweans to fully utilise their land and water to produce enough food for the nation.

He said the only way to honour heroes such as Mr Hungwe was for the nation to get inspiration from his sterling work in agriculture and make sure Zimbabwe became a net food exporter within the next two years.

“The late Mr Hungwe worked tirelessly to develop agriculture in this country and as a nation, we need to draw positive lessons from his life by making sure we harness all the water that we have in this country to produce enough food for our own consumption and start exporting food.

“The late Mr Hungwe left an indelible mark in the history of our country especially in agriculture and we must remember him by becoming self-reliant in food production,’’ he said.

“In the next two years, we want other countries to come to Zimbabwe and buy food and we can only do that if we use all the water that is running in our rivers and in dams for irrigation.’’

VP Mnangagwa said President Mugabe enunciated the 10-point plan to steer the country’s economic development in August last year with revival of the agricultural sector mainly through irrigation as the cornerstone of that plan.

He said it was disheartening to note that Zimbabwe was currently importing food from other countries yet it had the highest dam density in the entire Sadc region.

“We have the highest number of dams in the entire Sadc region and we should use that water for irrigation so that we attain food security. We cannot continue to import food from other countries when we have so many dams and perennially flowing rivers,’’ he added.

VP Mnangagwa described the late Mr Hungwe as a rare breed of an agricultural hero who had a profound passion to development Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector to engender food self-sustainability especially in post-independent Zimbabwe.

“There is no place in this country where Mr Hungwe was not known for his work to develop our country’s agriculture, this man was a true hero such that even President Mugabe referred to him as his friend. The President cannot just declare you as his friend unless you are doing something big to develop your country,’’ he added.

He added President Mugabe had ordered that Mr Hungwe be given a State-assisted funeral because he was a national hero whose footprints in the agricultural sector would inspire future generations to make sure Zimbabwe was self-reliant in food production.

ZFU president Mr Abdul Nyathi, said the organisation would not have been what it was today if it were not for Mr Hungwe’s work.

Mr Nyathi said one of the key lessons that he learnt from Mr Hungwe was the need for ZFU to closely work with the Zanu-PF government led by President Mugabe to make sure the country produced enough food for itself.

Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Shuvai Mahofa said while the people of Masvingo were mourning Mr Hungwe, the province and the nation at large would take solace from the benefits that would continue to accrue to the nation because of the tireless work done by the former ZFU president to develop the agricultural sector.

Born Sarayi Dunira Hungwe, the late ZFU president attained an Advanced Master Farmer certificate majoring in groundnuts, sorghum, livestock and farm management.

He is survived by his widow Rhoda, five children and several grandchildren.