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Mukudzei Chingwere in GWERU

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday conferred boxing legend Langton ‘Schoolboy’ Tinago with a provincial hero’s status.

Tinago will be buried tomorrow at Gweru’s Provincial Heroes’ Acre.

The legendary boxer died on Tuesday at Gweru Provincial Hospital after a short battle with pneumonia.

Tinago, a three-time Commonwealth champion and the greatest boxer to come out of this country, also took his name into the Guinness Book of Records.

Tinago becomes the first sportsperson to be conferred with such an honour, the second highest in the land.

Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs Owen Ncube confirmed the news yesterday.

“The family requested that Schoolboy be given the honour and we sent the message to the country’s leadership to decide.

“Now I have come with the message from the President Cde Mnangagwa, the President has given us the answer.’’

A letter read by Ncube confirmed that.

“His Excellence the President and First Secretary of ZANU-PF, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, has conferred a liberation hero status to the late boxer.

“I shall be grateful if you would make the usual arrangements for his burial and payments of benefits to his dependants, he is from the Midlands Province,” reads part of the letter delivered by Ncube.

Family representative, Boniface Pombi, confirmed the date of burial, the place of burial and thanked Government for the honour accorded to his brother.

“We are grateful with the honour that you gave my brother and all the assistance you have been giving us.

“We did not expect that you would give us such an honour, we really appreciate the honour you have given us.

“He will be buried at the place where other heroes are laid on Sunday,” said Pombi.

Tinago fought and excelled in four different divisions, lightweight, welterweight, super featherweight and welterweight.