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Walter Nyamukondiwa in MAKONDE
Zanu-PF is considering reviewing the system of selecting heroes from the country’s liberation war veterans through, among other things, the creation of a history and profile database of those who contributed in the struggle for independence.

The move is aimed at ensuring that deserving people are honoured, while eliminating chances of others being overlooked or prejudiced, especially those that performed less prominent roles.

This came out at the burial of liberation war stalwart and provincial hero Cde Kiliyon Bhebhe, who succumbed to renal failure last Friday in Makonde.
He was 90.

Delivering a special message from President Mnangagwa, Zanu-PF National Chairwoman Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri described the late Cde Bhebhe as a good negotiator and organiser, whose invaluable attributes were handy during the Lancaster House Conference negotiations.

“In 1977, he left the country to join the liberation movement in Zambia and was immediately elected into the Liberation War Council of ZAPU, a post he held until independence,” she said.

“Cde Bhebhe was a good negotiator and organiser and he took an active role during the Lancaster House Conference representing liberation movements.”

The party’s national spokesman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo said decisions on who should be a hero were sometimes made by new people in the party.

“The challenge we have now is that decisions are taken by people who were never near the struggle,” he said.
“In other words, when we say round robin consultations, we are consulting people who do not even know about the person.
“We have spoken about this and I am glad that President Mnangagwa has instructed that this (maintaining an inventory of those who participated in the war) has to be done because even the status we are celebrating that was conferred on Bhebhe is because of the push by the President.”

The decision on hero status is arrived at after consultations among Politburo members.
Each revolutionary, Cde Khaya Moyo said, should have a file in the archives that would be pulled out once they die for consideration of their befitting status.

He said in some countries such as Russia, heroes were known while they were still alive in some cases, but noted that it would be difficult in the Zimbabwean context at the moment.

His sentiments were also echoed by the president of the Chiefs’ Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira, who said there were a lot of people who contributed to the liberation of the country whose history had been forgotten.

“There are some people who can draw the attention of leaders even when they have not done much and there are those like Cde Bhebhe who are content to just work for the party,” he said.
“Such people should be found and given their place in society.”

Chief Charumbira said some people were now singing the praises of President Mnangagwa, but were once at the forefront of denigrating and attacking him.

He said there should be no ambiguities on the role that the pioneers of the struggle played and the party should not forget them.

“My appeal to the Politburo is that there are a lot of people who sacrificed a lot, including their lives and resources, but some of them are too quiet to be known and remembered,” said Chief Charumbira.

“Part of the priorities of the new dispensation should be to create a special unit in the party to look for such people.”
Cde Bhebhe is survived by his wife Alice, 12 children, 40 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren.
He joined the ANC in 1957 before it was banned and later NDP in 1960 at its formation.

Cde Bhebhe then joined ZAPU led by the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo before being elected a national councillor in the People’s Caretaker Council and was incarcerated at Gonakudzingwa in 1964.

He was moved to then Gwelo Prison in 1966. Upon his release in 1970, Cde Bhebhe found his family homeless after his farm in Chitomborwizi was confiscated and resold by the colonial regime as punishment for his political activism.