Liberation war fighters have been urged to write their autobiographies while they are still alive in order to guard against distortions when they are gone.
It is common for people to give conflicting records and information about deceased heroes.
Addressing mourners during the burial of provincial hero, Zephaniah Maiwana Nkomo, at the Nkulumane Provincial Heroes Acre in Bulawayo Thursday, provincial war veterans chairman, Cephas Ncube, said it was high time ex-combatants wrote about their life experiences while they are still alive.
“We encourage you veterans to write your autobiographies while you are still alive so that we avoid distortions and omissions when you are gone,” said Ncube.
Ncube added that war veterans can better document their war backgrounds because they have first-hand experiences.
The late Nkomo’s decorated biography and obituary were read to the crowd that attended both his funeral service and burial.
Nkomo who died Sunday at a private hospital in Bulawayo following respiratory complications was born on May 1 1951 in Ntoli, Bulilima District, and Matabeleland South.
He did his primary schooling at the local Ntoli Primary School, up to Standard 6, after which he moved to Bulawayo’s Msitheli Secondary School where he did his O’ Levels.
After completing his O levels he found employment at the Supersonic factory in Bulawayo. However, the call to join the liberation struggle became too strong, in 1977, resulting in him joining the struggle in Zambia.
The late director of Mafela Trust, was key in documenting the history of ZAPU and ZPRA.
Mafela Trust was established in 1992 to research and document the history of ZAPU/ZPRA after the government confiscated its files during the 1980’s Gukurahundi atrocities.
ZAPU has in the past expressed concern over the distortion of its history and that one of its military wing ZPRA, which the past has said that is being deliberately done in order to undermine its role in the liberation of Zimbabwe.
