Former Zapu liberation stalwart and leader of the splinter Zapu Federal Party (ZFP) Agrippa Madlela has died.
Madlela died on Wednesday at Mpilo Hospital at the age of 83.
Zapu spokesperson Iphithule Maphosa confirmed the death and revealed that the former Zapu member will be laid to rest on Saturday.
“Madlela will be buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery on Saturday morning around 11am,” said Maphosa.
“His body will lie in state today (Friday) evening at his home in Riverside, 11 Chadwick Close.”
Maphosa said Madlela was one of the party members who were against the forced integration of Zapu into Zanu PF.
In 1998, Madlela and others broke away from Zanu PF and formed ZFP.
“Madlela is one of the ZAPU veterans who did not like the party’s forced integration into ZANU PF in 1987 under the guise of what was termed the Unity Agreement,” Maphosa said.
” From 2008 there was a ferment in which many ZAPU cadres joined Dumiso Dabengwa in the setting up of Mavambo-Kusile Dawn that backed up Simba Makoni. Others went directly for the revival of ZAPU and in 2008 these efforts got a boost in the course of 2009 when a large number of ZAPU activists formally disengaged from ZANU-PF and invited people who had been in other efforts to stay out of ZANU-PF.
“At this point Dr Dabengwa was invited to join these efforts and provide leadership. When ZAPU was going for its revival congress in 2010 Agrippa Madlela contested the use of the name and mounted a legal challenge. He failed to prevent the use of the name.”
Maphosa reiterated that even though Madlela did not adhere to Dr Dabengwa’s approach they still managed to work together.
“It must be noted that, despite their differences in approach, Madlela remained in excellent relationship with Dabengwa although he was emphatic that federalism was the answer to the Zimbabwean question whereas Dr Dabengwa was focussed on devolution,” he said.
