The Sunday News
ON Tuesday, 1 July, Zimbabwe will mark exactly 15 years after the country lost one of its founding fathers the late Vice President, veteran nationalist and luminary, Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo. He died on Tuesday 1 July 1999. Interestingly this year 1 July falls on a Tuesday, just like in 1999 when Dr Nkomo passed on, rekindling a nostalgic spin to this year’s celebrations of the late visionary leader’s life.
Zimbabweans from all walks of life will come together to celebrate the life of a political luminary whose role in liberating the country remains unparalleled, priceless, immeasurable and a treasure for future generations to cherish.
For any Zimbabwean worth being called such, the loss of such a visionary leader, unifier and father figure was huge and the big void left by Dr Nkomo will for many generations to come remain almost impossible to fill.
Much as the nation will mourn, miss and celebrate the great leader, naturally the gravity of departure is mostly felt by those with whom he shared personal relationships.
His friends, family, fellow nationalists, other personal associates and perhaps even foes who knew Dr Nkomo personally, not through the abridged images of the media from which the rest of us knew him, still feel the huge void he left.
Among them the void will never be filled.
One such person, who had a personal relationship with Chibwe Chitedza, as Dr Nkomo was many at times fondly referred to, is former Midlands Province Governor Dr Cephas Msipa.
Dr Msipa, a veteran politician and nationalist himself, owes his entry into national politics to the late Vice President, whom he regards as his mentor and role model.
The former Midlands Governor enjoyed a long walk with Dr Nkomo along the country’s political landscape, dating as far back as 1955 when Dr Msipa was still a young school teacher at Amaveni primary school in Kwekwe.
In an interview with Sunday News last week Dr Msipa, chronicled his journey with Chibwe Chitedza, expressing how much he misses Dr Nkomo.
“I miss him so much. He was my mentor and role model and is one of the people who made me join politics. I met Dr Nkomo in 1955 when I was a young teacher in Kwekwe, when he had visited the school. He sold me some books, encyclopaedia Britannica, which I still keep at my house.
“After his visit in 1955, about two years later he asked me to be the African National Congress representative in Kwekwe and I agreed. That is how I started being actively involved in politics,” said Dr Msipa.
Dr Msipa worked with the late Vice President since 1957 when Dr Nkomo was elected the president of the African National Congress (ANC), through the days of the National Democratic Party (NDP), the formation of ZAPU where Dr Msipa was the secretary for education and the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987.
The two veteran politicians also worked together in Government after signing of the Unity Accord with Dr Msipa holding various ministerial portfolios before he finally retired from Government in 2008.
Dr Msipa said his relationship with the late vice President allowed him to know Dr Nkomo both as a politician and a personal acquaintance.
The relationship that existed between the two extended beyond the affairs of bringing liberation to the black majority and turned personal even to the extent that at one time the two politicians lived under the same roof.
Dr Msipa recalls that after the signing of the Lancaster House agreement Dr Nkomo approached him with a request for a place to stay in Harare.
“After the signing of the Lancaster House Agreement, Dr Nkomo approached me and asked for a place to stay. No one was ready to accommodate him in Harare so he approached me and I felt humbled. We stayed together until he secured his own place in Highfield suburb,” said Dr Msipa.
On the political front Dr Msipa described the late Vice President as a leader whose contribution to the country’s independence was unparalleled and immeasurable.
The former Midlands Governor said the late Vice President deservingly retains the title Father Zimbabwe because of the role he played in nurturing most of the country’s politicians as well as influencing a number of Zimbabweans and Africans to fight against white minority rule.
“Any politician of note that you see today was at some point under the leadership of Dr Nkomo. President Mugabe was once under Dr Nkomo in ZAPU and I remember how loyal he was to Dr Nkomo such that when he left the party at the formation of Zanu in 1963, Dr Nkomo was so surprised. The fact that he (Dr Nkomo) laid the foundation for the country’s liberation makes him Father Zimbabwe as we call him today,” said the former Midlands Governor.
Dr Msipa recalls how Dr Nkomo, during the formative days of the liberation struggle, trotted around the country, with minimum resources, mobilising people to revolt against the white colonial Government.
This feat, Dr Msipa said, was a sign of how selfless and dedicated Dr Nkomo was.
The former Midlands governor also described Dr Nkomo as a humble, peaceful and unifying leader, whose love for peace and unity was shown in the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987.
Dr Msipa spoke of how reluctant Dr Nkomo was to sign the unity accord but that he was compelled to do so because of his love for peace and the fact that he had always put the people first.
“At first Dr Nkomo was reluctant to sign the Unity Accord. We discussed the matter for many weeks and I highlighted to him how important it was for him to sign the deal. Finally he agreed and that shows how big the man was. He had a big heart and was prepared to humble himself for the unity of the country. Very few people would have done that. He let his party die and agreed to work under President Mugabe because he wanted the nation to unite. PF Zapu was a strong and organised party but when he was approached for the unity deal, he agreed. That’s what people should do, people must learn from Dr Nkomo, that when you are leader you must put people first, not your ego and pride,” he said.
Dr Nkomo’s desire for peace is even illustrated by his reluctance to take up arms against the white colonial government as he pursued various other peaceful methods of forcing the Ian Smith led government to cede power to the black majority.
Dr Msipa revealed that Dr Nkomo only took to the bush as a last resort as he had always pursued a peaceful transition from white colonial rule to black majority rule.
“He was a man of peace. He only went into the armed struggle because he had no choice. If he had an option he would have preferred peaceful means to get our country. He never wanted to see people die because to him people always came first,” Dr Msipa said.
The former Midlands Governor said the country could never do enough to repay Dr Nkomo, as his contribution remained immense, unprecedented and immeasurable.
He urged Zimbabweans to continue cherishing the story of Dr Nkomo, the man who founded the country’s struggle for emancipation.
