Mnangagwa govt set to erect Mugabe and Nkomo statues in Harare

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has announced plans to erect statues in Harare for the country’s late founding fathers Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo.

This was confirmed by Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa during a post cabinet briefing in Harare on Tuesday.

“The nation is further advised that in recognition of the roles played by Cde Robert .G. Mugabe and Dr Joshua M.N.Nkomo , who selflessly dedicated their lives for the Liberation of Zimbabwe, Cabinet approved the erection of statues in Harare.

“The statue of Cde R.G Mugabe will be erected at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, while Dr.J.M.N. Nkomo statue will be erected at the trumpet Interchange at the intersection of Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo and Glenara Roads,” she said.

Nkomo served as Vice President of Zimbabwe from 1990 until his death in 1999.

Mugabe ruled the country for 37 unsuccessful years before he was removed through a military coup by Mnangagwa in November 2017. He died in 2019 from prostate cancer in a Singapore hospital.

Mutsvangwa further announced that, in honor of the late nationalist and First black medical doctor and physician and first Vice President of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU), the late Dr. Tichafa Parirenyatwa, a statue will be erected at an appropriate entrance to the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.

“Heany Junction, the place where his body was dumped having been killed at Shangani, will also be renamed after him and a granite pedestal erected to signify and memorialize the site,” she added.

Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono tweeted “I am sure that Dr T.S. Parirenyatwa would have preferred that you buy a radiotherapy cancer treatment machine for the hospital named after him than build a statue!

“Bafo nihlezi ezingqondweni zenu? Kungani uqhamuka nale mibono engasile? Parirenyatwa has no basic medicines and you choose to build a statue?🤣🤣,” Chin’ono tweeted in response to the announcement by Government spokesman Nick Mangwana.

Government meanwhile will also honour war veterans with medals.

“Government recognizes the important role played by war veterans in the liberation and development of the country. To that end, Government is continuing with the process of awarding medals to the veterans.

“Furthermore, following the successful vetting exercise of non-combatant cadres and war collaborators by the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs in 2022, the Second Republic has deemed it fit to confer them with the commemorative Independence Medal in Bronze,” Mutsvangwa said.

Cabinet also resolved to honour Dr. Sikhulile Moyo (Order of the Great Zimbabwe Award in Silver), First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s Angel of Hope Foundation (Jairos Jiri Humanitarian Award in Gold), Ambassador Mary Mubi and Dr. Agnes Mahomva with the Order of the Star of Zimbabwe Award in Silver.

Dr. Moyo won the recognition for her pioneering work in identifying the Omnicron variant of the COVID-19 Virus in November 2021 while he was stationed at the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Laboratory.

Mahomva led the Government’s Covid-19 response during the pandemic, Mubi led the showcasing of Zimbabwe at the Milan World Expo 2015 in Italy as Deputy Commissioner-General and the 2020 Expo Dubai of 2021 to 2022.