The Sunday News
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
AN epilogue on the life of the late Cde Nellie Dupute who was laid to rest at Lady Stanley Cemetery yesterday after being declared a provincial heroine provided a fitting narration of the sacrifices made by the gallant liberation heroine who was described as an epitome of courage and humility.
Her life story laid bare that Cde Dupute (78) was one of the most decorated heroines whose contributions towards the recruitment of guerillas saw her being sentenced to death by the then Bulawayo High Court Judge Hugh Beadle in 1976. Charged for recruiting and assisting guerillas under the then Law and Order, Cde Dupute would see her legal team enduring a long battle to reduce her death sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment.
The late heroine seemed to however, earn another heroine status in what Christians would call the spiritual and physical realms. This saw her being described as a people’s person by her churchmates at a church service held at Gumtree African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Speaking before laying the liberation heroine in her last resting place, Bulawayo Metropolitan’s Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube represented by the Acting Director in the Ministry of Local Government Mrs Eveline Chatikobo described the late heroine as a brave cadre who sacrificed a lot for the liberation of the country.
“We remember the journey she travelled until Zimbabwe gained independence. It was not an easy journey to travel hence it needed the brave sons and daughters of the soil to travel it. A journey that would see Cde Dupute leaving behind her youthful state, educational endeavours and family and be detained for a better Zimbabwe. The life Cde Dupute lived shows commitment to improving people’s lives. It is important that we honour this great woman for her deeds and as a woman I feel inspired to do good,” said Minister Ncube.
Zanu-PF Politburo member Colonel (Rtd) Tshinga Dube who spoke on behalf of the party at the church service said the late had a rich liberation history punctuated by her braveness and commitment towards fighting colonial rule.
“Cde Dupute had wonderful history as a freedom fighter who was arrested and sentenced to death. It is a scary kind of sentence. She should be going to heroes’ acre, but where ever she will be buried she will rest in peace as a heroine. She was brave and courageous. She never left the fight against colonial rule and remained committed to the party. Jail is hard and if you go there once you leave politics if you are not brave, but she persevered. The death sentence she had showed how influential she was to the cause of the struggle. It’s just that people know those in the forefront of politics these days, but people like Nelly played a bigger role than some in the forefront, although everyone had a role to play,” said Col Dube.
Senator Molly Mpofu also described the late as a heroine who worked hard to recruit masses towards the liberation struggle.
“When we went to the liberation struggle, I was one of the people who was mentored by the late Cde Dupute. Even when we came back from the liberation struggle, she welcomed us. She was brave and encouraged us to fight for our freedom and emancipation,’ said Sen Mpofu.
The late Nellie Dupute “nee” Dube was born in Ntabazinduna, in Umguza on 6 of May 1944. She attended her primary education at David Livingstone and then went to St Cyprian Mission. She later did her secondary education at Mpopoma High School. She got involved in politics soon after school in 1974 in Ntabazinduna under the chairmanship of Elliot Singene Sigobodla as secretary for Zapu.
From 1970 to 1974 she became treasurer for the Mpopoma branch, Zimbabwe African Women’s Union which was the then Zapu women’s league. She was arrested in December 1976 by the Ian Smith regime under the so-called Law and Order and charged with recruiting and assisting the guerillas.
She was sent to the High Court under Judge Hugh Beadle who gave her the death sentence. During this time, she was forced to leave an infant at home. After a long battle, her lawyers managed to get her sentence reduced from the death sentence to twelve years of imprisonment. She only served three years of the twelve-year sentence and was released soon after the Lancaster House talks in November 1979. Soon after the signing of the Unity Accord in December 1987, she was part of the integration and became the deputy treasurer for Zanu-PF. She is survived by five children, three girls, and two boys. The late heroine opted to be buried at Lady Stanley, next to her husband who died in 2005. – @nyeve14
