The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
THE late Major-General Godfrey Chanakira was a selfless and dedicated cadre who had a burning desire to see the success of his country, Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander, General Phillip Valerio Sibanda has said.
Speaking at his funeral parade held at Charles Gumbo Barracks in Harare, Gen Sibanda said the virtues of Maj-Gen Chanakira, who was Permanent Secretary in the Office of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga at the time of his death, should be emulated by all public servants if Zimbabwe was to achieve its national goals.
“He was a joy to work with. He loved his country and he was someone who liked to do things that take the country forward,” said Gen Sibanda.
“He contributed quite significantly during the struggle. He did the same after independence as a soldier initially, and then as a civil servant in various Government departments.
“So he has really left a mark in the military and in the civil service. He was a very likeable fellow, very humble, but very firm when he needed to be firm.”
He said during the struggle, Maj-Gen Chanakira was selfless in the things he did and it was the same after independence.
“As we pay our last respects to the late Chanakira, we must not forget the sacrifices that he and other heroes and heroines made for us to be free today. It remains a challenge to us all to defend the values that they stood and fought for. We must always remember that to be who we are today, it is because somebody shed their sweat or blood as the late Chanakira and many others did.”
The Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, Lieutenant General David Sigauke, said he stayed with the late Maj-General Chanakira for a long time.
“We trained together and we were also deployed together and he was a good friend, a good fighter,” he said.
“He was a disciplined and polished person who was good at working with others and he loved his job so much. We have lost someone who was committed to his job.”
Air Vice Marshal Biltim Chingono, who stood in for Air Force of Zimbabwe Commander Air Marshal Elson Moyo at the parade, said his late former colleague’s intellect was outstanding.
“He liked to be involved in thought-provoking discussions. His contributions were well-thought out and was not someone who could just jump to conclusions.
“He was well read, and was good in areas he specialised in like finance and logistics. I worked very well with him and I can say he was someone who was respectable,” said Air Vice Marshal Chingono.
Major-General Kasirai Tazira said he was deployed in Maj-Gen Chanakira’s section, and he was his first commander.
“I can describe him as a fearless commander, somebody who loved his country and was also a disciplinarian.”
Maj-Gen Chanakira’s subordinates in VP Chiwenga’s Office said the late national hero was a vital cog in their operations.
Director in VP Chiwenga’s Office, Colonel Lawrence Munzararikwa, said his former boss was an academic and someone who could counsel one in a manner that left them with confidence.
“His major role in the office was being the centre-piece and the cogwheel that made the office function. General Chanakira was an affable leader. He had an open door policy and was a father figure to us. Because of his competence and flexibility of character and mind, he had the opportunity to be tasked variously in Government activities and duties.
“The week prior to his passing on, he had been in Masvingo province, undertaking the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme. On the Friday of that particular week, he felt he was not well, but he told his team that he would not go back to Harare before he completed his task in Masvingo.
“Such was the man, hardworking, focused and committed to national duty,” said Col Munzararikwa.
Mr Terrence Chanakira, son to the general, said his father had a reading culture and was always reading at home. He was also a generous and soft-spoken man.
His other son, Mr Godfrey Chanakira, thanked President Mnangagwa’s administration for the processes they undertook to give his father a befitting send-off. Maj-Gen Chanakira was a holder of three Masters degrees, among several other professional qualifications.
He died last Thursday at West End Hospital in Harare after a heart complication.
