ZAPU will commemorate the late party leader Dumiso Dabengwa’s life this month in an event to be held at the Simanje Business Centre in Tsholotsho in the aim of galvanising party structures in preparation for elections by conjuring the spirit of the veteran nationalist who steadfastly resisted oppression.
Dabengwa died on May 23, 2019 in Kenya while traveling to Zimbabwe from India where he had sought medical treatment.
Affectionately known as the Black Russian, Dabengwa was the chief of intelligence for ZPRA, the armed branch of the ZAPU liberation movement then led by the late Joshua Nkomo and was critical of Zanu PF policies and after leaving the government, became the ZAPU leader until his death at the age of 79.
ZAPU National Spokesperson, Msongelwa Ndlovu, told CITE that the party was gearing ahead with its campaign ahead for the elections and drawing inspiration from the life of Dabengwa, who spoke out against persecution.
“We are visiting our structures in Tsholotsho this coming Saturday to galvanise and energise them in preparation for elections. In this month of May, we will do so to commemorate and celebrate the life of our former President, Dr Dumiso Dabengwa who died this month in 2019. Dabengwa was a person who courageously spoke the truth and defended it. His legacy continues inspiring us,” he said.
Ndlovu said apart from remembering his service while he was in the government after the merging of ZAPU and Zanu, the revolutionary party remembered Dabengwa for reviving ZAPU after it broke out of the unity accord.
“We remember him not only for liberating the country, but for his early resistance to tyranny in the early 1980s. We remember him for his service in the government. We also remember him for his leading role in reviving our party, ZAPU, when it was not fashionable to do so,” said the national spokesperson.
“Above all, and as is our theme, we remember him for his principled stance and faith in the youth of this country. In Tsholotsho, the Black Russian will be speaking from his grave and our youth are urged to listen up.”
