• “This may be a good time for Zanu (PF) to come out and tell the country that the tax payer has been funding what is essentially a misnamed Zanu (PF) honorary club and burial society.”
— Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga referring to the National Heroes Acre on debate over hero status for Gibson Sibanda, the founder leader of the MDC, 2010.
• “All the people who lie there (Heroes Acre) are politicians and most are of dubious credentials. The situation is made worse by the fact that Zanu (PF)’s so-called politburo, a party appendage composed of Mugabe’s hand-picked stooges, decides who is and who is not a national hero. The result is that the Heroes Acre, which is supposed to be a national shrine, continues to fill up with mediocrity as “entry requirements” are always altered for personal and political expediency.” — Tanonoka Joseph Whande, social commentator, 2009.
• “Heroism is not bestowed; heroism is earned and cannot be denied. It is born from the selfless yielding of one’s own self to one’s people. Do we remember how Guy Clutton-Brock, the only Caucasian to be so honoured by Zanu (PF), came to rest at the Heroes Acre? – Whande
• “The national shrine was constructed for those who supported the struggle as well as those who gave their lives for the socio-economic development of Zimbabwe. It is for everyone who has been outstanding to the success of Zimbabwe. It’s a misconception that it is a Zanu (PF) thing. It’s for Zimbabweans. We need to separate Zanu (PF) and national events.”– Curator militaria, Lieutenant-Colonel Kingston Kazambara, March 2009.
• “Ndlovu (a Zanu (PF) senator and emissary), came to the family house to discuss the issue and I told him to go back to tell Mugabe to leave us in peace, not in pieces. Zanu (PF) should stop wasting our time because my brother had nothing to do with that party anymore. We are not accepting the national hero status because Mabhena said he didn’t want to be buried at a Zanu (PF) shrine.” – Norman Mabhena after the death of his brother, Welshman, a former Zanu (PF) stalwart and Provincial Governor who abandoned the party.
• “One hopes that the nation honours this man (Edgar Tekere), like it has honoured some. It would be a travesty of history if the nation denies him a seat which he earned, a seat which was denied James Chikerema, Ndabaningi Sithole and many others like them. Tekere fits into that category of founding nationalists of this country. It is important for the history of this country and nation building that we are seen to acknowledge without bias where a person has made his or her mark .We hope that the nation will honour him. The National Heroes’ Acre should be a national institution.” – Ibbo Mandaza, author of A Lifetime of Struggle, Tekere’s biography.
Post published in: News