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Yeukai Tazira Herald Reporter
The nation has lost a giant of the liberation struggle and a colossus that stood against imperialism in former President Robert Mugabe, Zanu-PF secretary for Youth Affairs Cde Pupurai Togarepi has said.

Cde Togarepi said Cde Mugabe was a fountain of wisdom.

“In this instance, death has been very unkind and unjust, snatching from us a fatherly figure before we had the opportunity to tap all the wisdom from his encyclopaedic memory,” he said.

“Baba Mugabe was the pacesetter, a trailblazer and the first leader of independent Zimbabwe, we owe our freedoms to him, the schools, hospitals and an informed citizenry we have today are all a result of that liberation war icon.”

Cde Togarepi described the late Cde Mugabe as a good fighter and leader.

“He ran his race, fought the good fight, just as the Bible says, maybe as fellow revolutionaries we let him down, yes we probably let him down when we allowed an overambitious clique to abuse his old age, but then we all make mistakes and that is the mistake we corrected rather belatedly,” he said.

“A true Pan Africanist, he was one of the last men standing from that glorious and selfless generation that took initiative to fight colonialism and its ills.”

Cde Togarepi said as the Zanu-PF Youth League, they were proud to be products of his vision.

“For us as Zanu-PF Youth League, we are proud that we are products of his vision, we honour him, and to express our love, we have his birthday February 21 as a youth holiday, we have Robert Mugabe International Airport; writing his name in stone,” he said.

“Indeed, heroes don’t die, they just turn into legends and the legend of Cde Mugabe is the one that will live in Zimbabwe, Africa and the world memories forever.

“He was an illustrious son of the soul, the father of the nation, a true nationalist who was also a good mentor, a shepherd and symbol of our black consciousness. Now he is gone, snapped by inescapable death, all we have are sad memories, we remember him because it is only natural to remember him and we shall try to follow in his giant footprints although that will be a tall order.”

Cde Togarepi said there was no doubt that some may not have fond memories of Cde Mugabe as he was no saint.

“His good and bad decisions sum all our hopes and failures, we have to learn from his history and engrave his good deeds in our hearts,” he said.