The Sunday Mail
Thousands of Zimbabweans are expected to throng the National Heroes’ Acre today for the burial of veteran politician and diplomat Cde Kotsho Lloyd Dube, who died on Monday last week in Bulawayo.
Cde Dube (79) died in his sleep after a battle with diabetes.
Earlier on yesterday, Cde Dube’s body was taken to his rural home in Kezi from Bulawayo, where thousands bade farewell to their hero. After this farewell, the body was flown to Harare accompanied by senior Government officials and family members.
Body viewing will be conducted at Stodart Hall in Mbare before the burial at the national shrine set for 10am.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail yesterday, the national hero’s eldest daughter Mrs Nozipho Simango nee Dube described her father as a loving and dedicated person who selflessly sacrificed family needs to work for the liberation of the country.
“He left for the liberation struggle cause shortly after marrying my mother, and spent close to sixteen years away, but like a loving husband, they re-united and lovingly embraced his wife after being away for so long,” she said.
“His resolve to serve the nation was unequivocal as soon after his retirement from diplomatic service he went back to work with the grassroots both in Bulawayo and rural Kezi.”
She said the presence of multitudes of people that came to pay their last respects in Kezi, bore testimony of her father’s influence on the lives of ordinary citizens.
“As the eldest daughter, I am going to miss him more as a friend than as a parent because of his unbridled sense of humour at every discourse and against adversity,’ she said.
His cousin, Cde John Dube, described the late national hero as a unifier, who played a pivotal role in the integration of two liberation war parties — ZANU and ZAPU — into one.
“He is irreplaceable and it’s going to be a struggle, not for us only his immediate family, but for Zimbabweans as a whole, without him,” he said.
Cde Dube was born on June 25, 1935 in Malindi village, Matobo District.
From 1945 to 1951, Cde Dube attended Zamanyoni Primary School up to Standard Six before proceeding to Mzingwane Secondary School. From 1955 to 1956, he joined the Joint Matriculation Board for Universities of South Africa and Thekwani Secondary School.
Between 1961 and 1963, he was an Articled Law Clerk at Coghlan Welsh and Guest Attorneys.
He worked at the then Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1963 to 1965.
From 1965 to 1972, Cde Dube represented PF-Zapu at the United Nations and South America with operations based in New York.
Later, his mandate was extended to cover United Kingdom, Scandinavia and Western Europe with offices in London.
He was tasked with promoting Zimbabwe’s struggle, lobbying and securing pro-freedom policy assets from governments, trade unions, students and the general public in countries of assignment.
In 1979, Cde Dube moved to Lusaka, Zambia where he became the director of information and editor-in-chief of PF-Zapu publications.
He was a member of PF-Zapu delegation to the Lancaster House Conference on Decolonisation of Zimbabwe from 1979 to 1980.
At Independence up to 1990, Cde Dube was a member of the National Executive of PF-Zapu and held the positions of secretary for publicity, secretary for education and national director of elections for PF-Zapu in 1985.
Between 1988 and 1990, he was a member of the national integration committee tasked to implement the Unity Accord between Zanu-PF and PF-Zapu.
In 1989, working as deputy secretary for administration, Cde Dube saw the ascension of the late First Lady, Cde Sally Mugabe, to the helm of the Women’s league.
In October 1990, he did a diplomatic course before ambassadorial posting to France. From 1990 to 1996, Cde Dube was ambassador extra-ordinary and plenipotentiary of Zimbabwe to France, Spain, Portugal, the Vatican and UNESCO.
In 1997 to 2000, he was a member of board of directors for the Zimbabwe Investment Centre and vice chairman of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
From 2002 to 2004 he was appointed Ambassador to Nigeria before moving to Zambia in the same capacity from 2004 to 2006.
In 2012 to 2013 he was appointed chairman of the NRZ board of directors. Cde Dube is survived by wife, Agatha, three children and three grandchildren.
