The Sunday Mail
Watson Khupe
Apart from being well-known for his military exploits during the armed struggle to free Zimbabwe from colonial oppression, and being an accomplished medical practitioner, Dr Felix Muchemwa was also a disability rights activist in his own right. He belonged to that rare breed of professionals who chose to forego high paying jobs and responded to the greater call to liberate the motherland. He accordingly left the comfort of Birmingham in England to play his part in bringing about independence to Zimbabwe. To him, such comfort was both hollow and superficial considering that his compatriots back home were still under colonial bondage.
He joined the struggle directly and not by proxy.
The late Brigadier-General (Retired) Dr Muchemwa was a hands-on disability rights activist. In fact, he had an inordinate dislike of disability-based discrimination. Later on during the years after independence, he demonstrated proof of his love for humanity when the disabled fraternity worked with him in disability and development programming. His appointment by President Robert Gabriel Mugabe to be the special disability advisor appears to have been prompted by divine impulse. He hit the ground running!
Dr Muchemwa never tired in articulating the rights of those with disabilities until he breathed his last. During the past decade he diligently and conscientiously served in the role of special disability advisor to the President, Dr Muchemwa introduced innovative strategies in tackling challenges confronting disabled people in all social spheres of life.
One of his greatest strengths was that he was a skilled and effective communicator who never worried himself about the negative myths associated with disability. Dr Muchemwa viewed persons with disabilities as equal partners in disability work. He collaborated with all disability-related associations unconditionally and tolerated their diverse views. He was, indeed, a friend of the down-trodden and marginalised for whom he worked so hard and tirelessly to change their status.
Three years ago, he introduced the Disability Expo, an annual event that was staged in provincial capitals. Through hosting of the Disability Expo, Dr Muchemwa took the Office of the President’s disability desk to the ordinary people, and by so doing he took disability main-streaming to a higher level.
During the Disability Expo disability organisations, various government ministries and other stakeholders shared their experiences and challenges. In fact, through the Disability Expo, Dr Muchemwa introduced what may be termed an internal mass exchange programme on disability appreciation. This year’s Disability Expo is scheduled to take place in Bindura. Last year the Disability Expo was held in Bulawayo. By its nature, the Disability Expo has grown to become a unique and most effective means of advocating for the rights of disabled people.
His desire to communicate with persons in their diverse disabilities gained a lot of respect from organisations of disabled people and disability service providers. The author of this obituary can reveal that amongst a multitude of concerns, there were at least two pertinent issues which Dr Muchemwa continually mentioned whenever we met.
The absence of a national disability policy troubled him immensely. Like all hands-on and progressive intellectuals, he was aware that in the absence of a national disability policy, all talk of equalisation of opportunities for disable persons cannot be sustainable. He contributed a lot in pushing for the establishment of a national disability policy which is now in a draft stage.
Early this year Dr Muchemwa was officially approached by a consortium of disabled people’s organisations to spearhead a call for the amendment of the Disabled Persons Act, which was enacted by Government in 1992. He gladly accepted our request. That was in his nature, a man well endowed with humility.
One of his other tasks just before his passing on was to push for the domestication of the United Nations Convention for Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD. He worked closely with disabled persons in influencing the Parliament of Zimbabwe to ratify the same UN Convention in 2013. Despite him having been taken away from our midst, his legacy shall remain a source of inspiration to the fraternity of the disabled persons as we push ahead with the agenda that he had set his eyes on.
He was, indeed, a friend of the down-trodden and marginalised, for whom he worked so hard to change their lot. Persons with disabilities lost a true friend, comrade and advocate who always enjoyed fighting for worthy causes starting with the liberation war during which he saved many lives of fellow comrades.
Rtd Brig-Gen Felix Ngwarati Muchemwa, a brother, a freedom fighter, father, and a disability rights activist born on April 22, 1945 and passed on July 13, 2016, shall sorely be missed. Certainly we shall cherish most profoundly memories of him. We are all the worse with his demise. May his very dear soul rest in eternal peace.
Watson Khupe is national chairperson of the Federation of Organisations of Disabled People in Zimbabwe
