HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has accorded late former Vice President Phekelezela Mphoko national hero status, as he penned a moving eulogy of a politician he once shared the post of Vice President with.

Mphoko, Zimbabwe’s co-vice president from 10 June 2014 to November 2017, died aged 84 on Friday after a long illness.

Leading the tributes was Mnangagwa who said Mphoko is one of the country’s biggest luminaries of the liberation struggle.

In a statement to bestow the former nationalist with the highest honour of the land, Mnangagwa dedicated generous amounts of praise for Mphoko.

He concluded in his statement, “In recognition of his meritorious role of service to his country, both before and after Independence, the Zanu PF Politburo has unanimously decided and agreed to celebrate and immortalize his life of sacrifice by according him the Status of National Hero.”

READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW:

I learnt this afternoon with a deep sense of grief and sadness of the passing on of our former Vice President, Ambassador Report Phelekezela Mphoko, after a long illness.

A veteran of our Liberation Struggle, Cde Mphoko’s political and military history coincides with the early days of militant nationalism against white settler colonialism which later morphed into the armed Liberation Struggle of which he was among its early architects, brave fighters and crop of formative and outstanding commanders. With his sad departure, our Nation has lost yet another stalwart of the Liberation Struggle whose contribution to our hard-won Independence can hardly be overstated.

Trained in many countries, including in the then Soviet Union, Cde Mphoko specialized in logistics, an onerous and sensitive responsibility which ensured huge consignments of assortments of arms of war were moved to different bases in the rear, and to the war front inside the country, in order to maintain the momentum of the Armed Liberation Struggle and to exert ever mounting pressure on the settler regime until final victory.

A versatile cadre, Cde Mphoko would later join ZAPU’s liaison department, a role which took him to Maputo, Mozambique, where the then ZANU was headquartered.

We worked very closely with him, in the process laying groundwork and anticipating the eventual convergence of the two liberation movements into the Patriotic Front. It was this early exposure to diplomacy, moulded in the crucible of the Liberation Struggle which prepared him for his long career in the diplomatic service after our Independence.

It was an illustrious career which peaked with his appointment as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to various key countries, including the Russian Federation. His appointment as Vice President of our Nation was both deserved and consistent with his sacrifice and long service to his people who today grieve and mourn his untimely departure.

After his service in Government, he continued to work with the Party, including lending his unqualified support to our most recent Harmonised, Elections held in 2023.

On behalf of the Party ZANU PF, Government, my Family and on my behalf, I wish to express my deepest, heartfelt condolences to the Mphoko Family, especially to Mrs Mphoko and the children, on this their saddest loss. As they go through the motions of grief, may they derive solace from the knowledge that we mourn and stand with them in this darkest hour, always recalling with awe and admiration the huge and selfless contribution which Cde Mphoko made towards Zimbabwe’s Independence and subsequent development after 1980.

In recognition of his meritorious role of service to his country, both before and after Independence, the Zanu PF Politburo has unanimously decided and agreed to celebrate and immortalize his life of sacrifice by according him the Status of National Hero.

May his dear Soul rest in eternal peace.