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Victor Maphosa in Mahusekwa

THE late liberation war hero Cde Charles “Salad” Samuriwo, who died on July 14 in South Africa aged 66, was buried yesterday in Mahusekwa, Mashonaland East Province.

 Cde Samuriwo was one of the pioneering pilots in Zimbabwe and was described as a person who was loyal to Zimbabwe, the Government and the ruling Zanu PF party.

In line with Covid-19 restrictions, only close family members and a few Government officials attended the burial ceremony which was supervised by Ministry of Health and Child Care officials to ensure adherence to the protocols. Cde Samuriwo’s brother Mr Isaac Samuriwo thanked President Mnangagwa and the Government for according his brother with the hero status.

“Charles had Zimbabwe at heart,” he said. 

“He wanted to see everything right in this country and in this village. He is a son of this community who worked tirelessly to uplift the living standards of everyone. Words alone cannot explain the good things he did here.

“Yes, Charles was our son, but he was also patriotic to his nation and I want to thank Government and President Mnangagwa for declaring him a provincial hero. We are proud of this recognition and we warmly accept and welcome it.”

 Marondera District Development Coordinator Mr Clemence Masawi said Cde Samuriwo’s death was a blow to both the aviation community and the country.

“Cde Charles was a fearless Zanu PF cadre who would have given his life for this country and nearly did so in the Ethiopian civil war during Mengistu’s reign,” he said. “He and his comrades risked their lives flying civilian planes in a war situation carrying supplies for troops on the front and transporting wounded soldiers.

“As a way of giving back to the community, when he installed electricity at his home, he made sure it reached the local Samuriwo Primary School and set up water supply at the school through a five kilometre pipeline from Mahusekwa Dam.

“He also sourced desks and computers for the school. He assisted ZRP Mahusekwa with fuel and was responsible for repairing roads and fixing potholes in Mahusekwa.

“A very generous person, Charles was one of the biggest employers in Mahusekwa.” 

Born on June 19, 1955, Cde Samuriwo trained as a pilot in Ethiopia and graduated in 1978 together with Captain Makanda and Chris Chenga.

The three had been sent for training by Zanu in preparation for flying Air Zimbabwe planes after independence.

Cde Samuriwo rose to become the first black flight operations manager at Air Zimbabwe. He was central to the recruitment, training and development of most of the pilots who were to eventually become the bedrock of aviation in the country.

Some have since spread their wings across the world and now fly for some of the world’s biggest airlines. Cde Samuriwo is also credited with fighting for black advancement in the boardroom at Air Zimbabwe.