The Sunday Mail
Updates by Fungai Lupande and Costa Mano
1346: Official proceedings have ended here at National Heroes Acre and with that we also conclude our live updates. Thank you for joining us.
1340: The National Anthem is now being played.
1325: President Mugabe is now leading the laying of wreaths.
1319: The casket is now being lowered into the grave.
1306: President Mugabe will now lead the procession leading to (Rtd) Brig-Gen Dr Muchemwa’s final resting place.
1259: President Mugabe has finished his address.
1258: “Go well our honest doctor, doctor of our revolution, go well our son of the soil, lover of the people…I thank you,”
1257: “He taught us the lesson of sacrifice, yes real sacrifice kwete yekudududza munzira umu sezvakaita ana Tsvangirai..he also taught us that your education and skills are really hollow, they might serve you yes but unless they serve the greater good of the masses they really not as meaningful as they should be. So we say today we say our revolution must continue, we must be united behind the party, they party that tells us that the land on which you now have a home, which now till where your schools are built was fought for, suffered for, died for, don’t fail those who have sacrificed their utmost for it.
“Don’t malign them through your actions, through talk, through your division, through disunity, through partnership with our white detractors who want to undermine our gains, our revolutions and even our Government and are seeking regime change. Vamwe vanoti ma policies enyu anotikanganisa…if we are going to suffer, be denied resources by outsiders, them demanding that they do as they like in our country then let them keep their resources, our land that we have suffered for is greater,”
1249: He taught us the commitment to a cause, if you have a cause to fight for stand firm..they say might is right but were you have inherent right to a thing, to land, to life and you stand for it we must be free it’s our land, yes we will die but at the end right will overcome might,”
1247: “The land has come to us thanks to comrades such as Felix Muchemwa and many others lie here and others who are still with us….rusununguko ratinarwo vamwe varikutamba narwo vachiti vakapiwha munda varikudzosera kuma bhunu vachiti huya handigone kurima. Zvinorwadza kuti vamwe vanenge vasinga nzwisise kuti nyika iyi yakakosha, ndeyeropa,”
1239: “There are those difficulties and some people don’t appreciate it they think oh we are just like other countries free as air, no, we are not. Not many are like Felix Muchemwa no. Dr Muchemwa would have asked for no less than we are asking from his peers..he never put money first. He indeed served his people right up to the end but as i speak there is still a standoff between medical staff and authorities muma hospitals kwedu. Comrades and friends the fact of our serving the people, putting the people first is a fact of us making great sacrifices, a great sacrifice,”
1235: “But today what do we read? A standoff between doctors and medical aids…have our doctors lost the values that used to define them? True we expect everyone, doctors included to be rewarded for services provided, but is not important for doctors to see the social issues that surround us…there are those restrictions that don’t allow our economy to run smoothly,”
1230: “Living conditions were not always hygienic in the overcrowded camps. Water was rare saka mvura yekugeza yakashomeka kudaro tsvina inowandawo and the result is that people start suffering from diseases..food was not always available so cases of malnutrition were numerous,”
1226: “Now it was not easy for these men who worked with numerous medics who worked under them..taifirwa nevanhu vakawanda but these dedicated men and women, who had no benefactors except what they got from the government of Mozambique, did their best and tried their best to save lives.life in the camps was harrowing,”
1223: “He left his position as doctor and lecturer to join the war in Mozambique..that he took such a hard decision puts him apart from the rest speaking volumes of the kind of personality he was. for the success of our liberation struggle we needed medical experts like Dr Muchemwa,”
1221: “He had in mind that once he has finished it (degree) he would try as much as he could to join the struggle. Akawana rubatsiro revanhu veku Britain, vakakakatana na Smith kuti aende ku Birmingham kuti apedze chikoro chake…it is there he got to know Chairman Herbert Chitepo and many others,”
1215: “When he was in High School ku Fletcher, he was talking politics. Anga avamba kare politics,”
1214: “Vamwe tikaenda kuchikoro tikawana degree ah hatichada kuti tive vanhu vanongo gara navamwe veshure. Takuda vemberi chete…anechidzidzo ichocho chekuti kwete…fundo yako ifundo yekuti iwe pachako uve nenjere dzekubatsira vamwe,”
1211: “Ndati ndikupei shoko iri nedkuti kunevamwe vanga vasinga muzive…aive gamba huru ranga risingatye..gamba ranga risinga zvirove dundundu…gamba remberi mberi. We have heard about his illustrious life from the family kumba kwatakaenda vakataura today his son has also spoken,”
1206: “Asi ka semaitiro edu, hapana ainzi anonopinda muma gamba kuva batsira iyewo asiriwo gamba….tadzoka mabasa akawanda asi rake rakava rekurapa ari mumaitiro edu, tsika dzedu sezvo anga adzidziswa kuva musoja aive muma Ranki emasoja kudzamara ava Brigadier. Takazomuita Minister futi,”
1203: President Mugabe describes the path followed by (Rtd) Brig-Gen Dr Muchemwa that led him to the war front.
1202: “Asi zviripachena, muvengi aiti nyangira nema bhombu, tichikandirwa mabhombu iwawo nzvimbo ne nzvimbo tikarasikirwa nema comrades pamwe chete nevataichengeta avo ma refugees,”
1200: “Dzimwe nguva kudya kwedu..hameno kuti zvaiuya nemutowo upi, zvaisangana nazvo kupi, zvainge zvakakandwa mushonga-poison,” said President Mugabe.
1155: Dr Chombo is now back on the podium and he laments yet another gathering at the National Heroes Acre. He has invited President Mugabe to address the mourners.
1149: Fungai Muchemwa has finished his address.
1148: Fungai Muchemwa, son to (Rtd) Brig-Gen Dr Muchemwa, is now on the podium. He says his father was a man who never asked for much but always gave what he had.
“The first lesson they were taught was love for one another..the second lesson was humility….the third lesson was loyalty..not only to his family but for the people he has worked with.”
1144: Fr Ribeiro has finished his sermon.
1129: Minister of Home Affairs Dr Ignatius Chombo is on the podium and has invited Father Emmanuel Ribeiro to give a sermon.
1118: The casket is now being carried to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
1115: The Gun Carriage carrying the body of (Rtd) Brig-Gen Muchemwa has arrived at the National Heroes Acre.
1040: President Mugabe has now arrived at the National Heroes Acre.
1032: The body viewing ceremony has finished, the body of (Rtd) Brig-Gen Muchemwa will now be taken to the National Heroes Acre.
1020: President Mugabe is leading the body viewing ceremony.
1008: President Mugabe has arrived.
0946: Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has arrived.
0941: Minister of Home Affairs Dr Ignatius Chombo has arrived.
0937: Zanu-PF youths have arrived at Stodart Hall singing and raising portraits of (Rtd) Brig-Gen Muchemwa.
0922: Some of the ministers already at the venue include Minister of Defence Sydney Sekeremayi and Minister of Finance and Economic Development Patrick Chinamasa.
0904: The body of (Rtd) Brig-Gen Dr Muchemwa has arrived at Stodart Hall.
o855: Mbare Chimurenga Choir is singing revolutionary songs
0850: Scores of people are gathered at Stodart Hall in Mbare, Harare to pay their last respects to national hero Retired Brigadier-General Dr Felix Muchemwa who died in Egpyt last week.
