The body of the late national hero and former cabinet minister, Professor Callistus Ndlovu has been airlifted to Harare ahead of burial tomorrow at the National Heroes Acre.
Prof Ndlovu, 83, who was the Bulawayo Provincial Zanu PF Chairman died on February 13 in South Africa.
A memorial service was held at the Large City Hall on Friday which was attended by service chiefs, Zanu PF leadership, family and friends.
The former Zanu PF chairman was described as a principled, strict honest man who did not beat about the bush especially concerning the ruling party’s state of the affairs in Bulawayo.
Speaking at the funeral service, Zanu PF Secretary for Administration, Obert Mpofu said Prof Ndlovu was an astute leader whose contribution to liberating the country was well known.
“As early as the 1970s, Prof Ndlovu was already in the United States where he learnt the true meaning of democracy. He was grounded in politics which he used it as a tool to know that Zimbabwe yearned for socio-development progress. He also stood firm for the party during the formation or MDC onslaught which saw some party members leave to join the opposition.
“Prof Ndlovu also managed to remain calm as he showed leadership after the White City incident (the explosion that took place last year in Bulawayo, June 22),” Mpofu said.
The Zanu PF administrator also urged the Bulawayo Province not to jostle for positions seeing that the chairmanship seat was vacant.
“A leader will be identified and chosen, you don’t have to jostle for the position. Names have submitted for the chairmanship position. We need stability in the province and one that emulates the leadership of Prof Ndlovu. Zanu PF must regain dominance in Bulawayo and I am willing to help the city achieve that. I come from Umguza and the party wins more numbers than some areas of Mashonaland come elections,” he said.
Bulawayo Metropolitan minister, Judith Ncube, who spoke about Prof Ndlovu’s discipline raised concern on the high rate of drug abuse among school going children.
“The usage of drugs by children also contributed to the protests we saw last month as looters stole goods from shops in western suburbs,” she said.
“The protests resulted in damaged shops while people, even you women stole people’s goods. Bulawayo became another state during that period, we lost a police officer in the violence and some of the police officers were hurt. Let’s build Bulawayo”.
