The Sunday Mail
Provincial Hero and national liberation war fighter Cde Philimon Mandeya, who died last week, was buried at Warren Hills Provincial Heroes Acre in Harare yesterday.
Scores of relatives and colleagues attended the burial.
In a speech read on her behalf, Harare Provincial Affairs Minister Miriam Chikukwa implored Zimbabweans to continue safeguarding the gains of the country’s Independence.
“On this day, we urge Zimbabweans to emulate and celebrate Cde Senior Hombarume’s life, and continue to protect the country from being colonised again,” she said.
“Be warned, those against our independence are among us and would want us to reverse the gains of our Independence which we are cherishing today.
“In Cde Mandeya, the nation and together with the family, we have lost a liberator, friend, colleague and a loyal cadre. He was a humble and compassionate cadre who showed selfless dedication to the nation at large. Even after his retirement, he continued to work towards an empowered society and a growing economy, our vision as a nation in our economic blueprint, Zim-Asset.”
Cde Mandeya (65), whose nom de guerre was Cde Senior Hombarume, joined the liberation struggle in 1975.
He underwent military training at Chimoio Takawira Base Two Camp in Mozambique and was deployed to Mt Darwin (Takawira Sector) for warfront operations in 1978.
Between then and 1979, he was posted to various military camps and got further training in Tanzania and Pakistan.
In 1981, he was recruited by Air Zimbabwe as one of Zimbabwe’s first black pilots, rising to the rank of captain before retiring in 2012.
Cde Mandeya is survived by wife Alice, two children and three grandchildren.
