Late Brig-Gen Ngarava was a distinguished patriot, disciplined commander and revolutionary: Acting President

ACTING President Constantino Chiwenga has described the late national hero Brigadier-General (Retired) Mathias Tizirai Ngarava as a principled soldier, who never abused his privileged position for self-aggrandisement.

Chiwenga went on to launch yet another scathing attack at opportunists riding on political coattails to amass ill-gotten wealth, saying this was not the reason gallant sons and daughters waged the war of independence.

Addressing mourners gathered at the National Heroes Acre this Friday during Ngarava’s burial, the vice president said plunderers, whom he oftentimes refers to as “Zvigananda”, were defeating the motive of the 1970s bush war.

“What legacy are we creating? One of sacrifice, patriotic service and national purpose or one of plunder?” Chiwenga said.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the liberation struggle was not waged so that a few could prosper while many remain in abject poverty, it was fought so that every Zimbabwean could walk in dignity and economically empowered.

“Our duty is not to merely honour their memory, it is to implement their vision through ethical leadership, clear governance, unity of purpose of and economic transformation,” said Chiwenga.

He said Ngarava’s generation was driven not by ambition, but by an obligation to liberate Zimbabwe.

“Brigadier-General Ngarava’s generation did not choose war out of ambition, they were driven by passion and zeal to liberate the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.

“They confronted land dispossession, economic exclusion and the systematic denial of social and economic dignity. To liberate Zimbabwe was not an option but an obligation. It was a life of sacrifice, resilience, discipline and commitment. Independence was therefore purchased at a huge cost.”

In his eulogy, the Acting President described the late Ngarava as a disciplined soldier, distinguished patriot and dedicated revolutionary whose life was defined by sacrifice and unwavering service to Zimbabwe.

“We gather here at the National Heroes Acre to lay to rest a gallant son of Zimbabwe, a distinguished patriot, a disciplined commander and a dedicated revolutionary – Brigadier-General (Retired) Mathias Tizirai Ngarava,” he said.

Ngarava died on Christmas Day at Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital aged 66.

Ngarava was born on 27 March 1959, in Chivi District, Masvingo province, and attended Shindi Primary School before proceeding to Berejena Mission for secondary education.

In October 1976, after writing his Form Two examinations, he left school to join the liberation struggle.

In December 1976, Ngarava crossed into Mozambique through the Gonarezhou Game Park, later staying at Chibawawa Refugee Camp before being sent to Syria for military training, where he performed exceptionally well. He was later deployed to Gaza Province, Sector Four, where he operated until Independence in 1980.

He added that Brig-Gen Ngarava’s participation in peace campaigns in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo, reflected his disciplined approach to regional stability.