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Herald Reporter

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has described the late national hero, former Vice President Cde Simon Vengai Muzenda as a revolutionary and fearless freedom fighter who devoted his entire adult life to the liberation of his motherland from the shackles of colonial bondage.

Vice President Muzenda served as the inaugural Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and as Vice President from 1987 to 2003 when he died.

In a statement to commemorate the 19th anniversary of his death on September 20, 2003, President Mnangagwa said Dr Muzenda played a pivotal role in uniting and building a nation emerging from a protracted liberation war.

“A revolutionary and fearless freedom fighter and revolutionary who devoted his entire adult life to the liberation of his motherland from the shackles of colonial bondage, Cde Mzee, as the Vice President was fondly known, played a pivotal role in uniting and building a nation emerging from a protracted liberation war,” said President Mnangagwa.

President Mnangagwa said Dr Muzenda ardently supported the Land Reform Programme as an integral strategy for socio-economic transformation and empowerment of the previously downtrodden African majority.

He said the late national hero was a down to earth politician who always championed practical solutions to challenges.

“Soul of the Nation and a down-to-earth politician who always championed practical solutions to challenges, Cde Muzenda preached unity, peace and love across the length and breadth of the land of his birth. 

“Our memories of VaMuzenda as a cultural icon will always inspire current and future generations to cherish their freedom and identity, and to relentlessly work for the betterment of mankind,” said President Mnangagwa.