Harare — Vice President Joseph Wilfred Msika has died.
He was 85.
Cde Msika, who was also Zanu-PF's Second Secretary, died at West End Hospital in Harare yesterday morning.
The Zanu-PF Politburo immediately sat at the party's headquarters in the capital and unanimously conferred Cde Msika with national hero status.
He will be buried at the National Heroes Acre on Monday, coincidentally the day the nation commemorates Heroes Day.
Addressing mourners at Cde Msika's house in Mandara, Zanu-PF secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa said: "The Politburo met today (yesterday) and agreed that there won't be any discussion on his status. We have agreed that he be accorded hero status and be buried at the National Heroes Acre."
Cde Mutasa said more information would be made available after a meeting between the family and officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Msika family also requested that VP Msika's body be taken to Bulawayo where he cut his political teeth for farewell.
The body will also be taken to his rural home in Chiweshe.
The late Vice President was born on December 6, 1923, in Chiweshe communal lands in Mazowe District and attended Howard and Mt Selinda institutes where he trained as a carpentry teacher.
He later joined Usher Institute as a teacher and while there, he began to actively participate in nationalist politics.
In his quest for the country's freedom, Cde Msika worked with other nationalists such as the late Cde Masotsha Ndlovu and Cde Benjamin Burombo.
Around 1944-45 he joined the Rhodesia Textile and Allied Workers' Union.
It was during this period that he met fellow hero of the struggle, Father Zimbabwe, the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo.
In 1957, Cde Msika was elected national treasurer of the newly-formed African National Congress, and after it was banned he was made secretary for youth in its successor, Zapu.
He became a member of the National Democratic Party in 1961 and was elected a councillor.
His political activities saw the racist Rhodesian regime detaining him at Khami Maximum Security, Selukwe and Marandellas prisons between 1959 and 1961.
It was during this time that he met President Mugabe, who had just returned from his teaching job in Ghana and was visiting nationalists who had been arrested by the oppressive settler regime.
In 1963, Cde Msika was elected Zapu secretary for youth affairs before becoming secretary for external affairs of the People's Caretaker Party after the NDP was banned.
He was arrested and detained at Gonakudzingwa in 1964, where he spent four years, before being transferred to Camp 5 from 1967 to 1974.
On his release, he flew to Zambia with other nationalist stalwarts to meet Frontline Heads of State and Government before taking part in a series of summits and meetings leading to the 1979 ceasefire.
He served as an African National Council central committee member before becoming Zapu secretary between 1976 and 1984.
The late hero was a delegate at the Lancaster House Conference in London in 1979.
At Independence Cde Msika was elected a Senator and appointed Minister of Natural Resources and Water Development up to 1982.
He served as Zapu vice president from 1984 to 1987.
Cde Msika was elected Member of Parliament for Pelandaba in 1985 and appointed Minister of Public Construction and National Housing.
In 1987 he was among the Zanu-PF and PF-Zapu leaders who signed the December 22 Unity Accord.
Cde Msika was appointed Senior Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development in the President's Office in 1988; a post he held until 1995.
Thereafter, he served as Minister without Portfolio and Zanu-PF national chairman.
President Mugabe later appointed Cde Msika to chair the Land Acquisition Committee.
Following the death of Vice President Nkomo on July 1, 1999, Cde Msika was elevated to Vice President and sworn into office on December 23 of that year.
Cde Msika did not take part in the 2000 and 2005 elections and was appointed a Member of the House of Assembly before being appointed to the Senate in August last year.
On October 13 last year, he was sworn in as Vice President in the inclusive Government along with Cde Joice Mujuru.
He is survived by his wife Amai Maria and three children.
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The whole of Zimbabwe and all Zimbabweans, at home and abroad, should mourn this great man, the hero of heroes - Joseph Wilfred MSIKA - who passed on yesterday. I am particularly saddened by the fact that Baba Msika left us at a time when we were looking up to him to give us direction and guidance as to how we should move forward considering the enemy forces within and around us.
However, I am encouraged by and aware of the fact that heroes do not die but fall and continue to live within other living heroes. Your contribution, ubaba wethu u Msika, is immeasurable. You sacrificed your entire life for the freedom of the people of Zimbabwe. You remained principled, consistent and persistent throughout your entire political and private life.
You gave ALL of us Zimbabweans political independence, you empowered your people by giving them the only infinite resource on this mother earth - LAND - and now God has taken you while consolidating the political and economic as well as cultural independence that you fought all your life for.
Although we are not yet Totally Independent and 100% Empowered, the process is now irreversible as we will NEVER allow anyone, including sellouts within or among us, to take us back to the colonial times. You have done your part Umdhala wethu, rest in eternal peace. May God accord you a place among his Angels? Go well umdhala wethu Baba Msika!!
Strange that this story was first reported by the independent media two days ago. It would appear that the politburo wanted to keeps things under wraps whilst the power struggle that is going on within zanu-pf took its course.
It is also strange that a party committee should decide who is and who isn't going to be buried at the National shrine - this should be something for the cabinet to decide.
Kazt;
You seem to lack an understanding of how things work in as far as conferring hero status is concerned. Recommendations for hero status starts at the very lowest level, at grassroots level - Vidco, Branch, District, Province, up to national level.
From the recommendations put forward the Politburo then decides whether to confer national, provincial, district or whatever hero status that best suits the departed comrade.
Cabinet, especially the current on which is a mixture of the good and bad apples - revolutionary fighters and sellouts - has no role in determining who gets what status because it does not have the profile and contribution of the departed. In Zimbabwe there is a clear criterion of who get conferred with hero status.
The person should, throughout his/her life, have been principled, consistent and persistent in serving the country - Dzimbahwe - and its people. Vakambo tengesa kana vari kutengesa havana chavo and havakwani apa.
Not only politicians are buried at the National Heroes Acre. There are a number of personalities that are today buried at the National Shrine because of their persistence and consistence in serving Zimbabwe. What is important is that there should be someone who recommends.
A couple of points:
1) "The person should, throughout his/her life, have been principled, consistent and persistent in serving the country - Dzimbahwe - and its people"
I guess this means that that Butcher of Harare, Bob Mugarbage deserves nothing more than to be buried in a half full of crap dustbin.
2) It is up to the people to decide who is a 'hero' and who isnt. Its not for one political party to decide. Therefore it must be decided by the cabinet which represents the people of Zimbabwe. Pure and simple.
PS, Takunya, can you tell your mum to stop calling me? Its embarrasing!
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