ZIMBABWE DECLARES DAYS OF NATIONAL MOURNING FOR MUGABE

 The President in the address  declared, Mugabe, the late founding leader of Zimbabwe a national hero , a great teacher, mentor and “remarkable statesman of our century’’, and in a glowing and moving tribute, praised the late Mugabe for his great contribution and dedication to the development of the country before and after independence.

 “Our party, ZANU-PF, has met and accorded him national hero status, which he earned and richly Zimbabwe is free, has been free since 1980, thanks to the sacrifices of a generation of dedicated, veteran nationalists and freedom fighters pre-dating the 1960s, who included the late Cde Mugabe,’’ Mnangagwa said.

Penpushing also reports that, he lauded the late former President  for his signature policy of reconciliation and forgiveness with former coloniser Britain soon after independence in 1980,and commended him for spearheading the land reform programme under, which Zimbabwe repossessed its land from minority white farmers.

“The late Republic icon will eternally be remembered and honoured for the bold and historic land reform programme, which he undertook.Through this programme, indigenous Zimbabweans regained their long denied land rights to complete their sovereignty’.

The President who vowed to continue with Mugabe’s long-life vision and legacy of black empowerment, said, “for that, he was especially vilified, shunned and punished by those who stood to lose from an end to colonial rights and from a just reassertion of African rights,’’.

“As we mourn the passing on of our commander, liberator, founder and leader, we remain determined to carry forward the transformation he so fervently desired, including protecting and defending the gains of the struggle for which he made huge sacrifices.’’

“On the backdrop and solid foundation of the First Republic, which he moulded as its leader, we today recover and grow our economy brick by brick until his life-long vision of an empowered people is realised,’’ he said.