President Emmerson Mnangagwa and ZANU PF have conferred national hero status on the late Brigadier-General Shadreck Vezha, who died in a road traffic accident on Tuesday last week.
ZANU PF Secretary for Security in the Politburo Lovemore Matuke announced the conferment of the national hero status on Saturday at the Vezha homestead in Chivi, Masvingo Province. Matuke said (via The Sunday Mail):
The Head of State, President Mnangagwa, who is also the First Secretary of our party, ZANU PF, through its Politburo, has bestowed on the late Brigadier-General Vezha, who passed away a few days ago, national hero status.
Family spokesperson Chimera Gwatinyanya thanked President Mnangagwa for honouring Brig-Gen Vezha.
Brig-Gen Vezha, along with three other Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) officers, were killed in a head-on collision at the 180km peg on the Harare-Bulawayo road.
In an earlier statement, ZDF director of policy, public relations and international affairs, Brigadier-General Augustine Chipwere, said the vehicle the ZDF officers were travelling was involved in a head-on collision after they attempted to overtake and encroached into the oncoming vehicle’s lane.
They were headed towards Kadoma while the other vehicle involved in the collision, a Mazda CX-5, was travelling towards Kwekwe. Said Brig-Gen Chipwere:
Brigadier-General Shadreck Vezha, Major Thabani Ncube, Major Mqondisi Gumbo and Sergeant Chakabaiwa were involved in a road traffic accident at the 180-km peg along the Harare-Bulawayo Road, about 2km from Battlefields.
According to preliminary investigations, it was established that Brigadier-General Vezha attempted to overtake an unidentified vehicle and encroached into the oncoming vehicle lane, resulting in a head-on collision with a Mazda CX-5.
Some passengers who were aboard both vehicles sustained varying degrees of injury and are currently admitted at Gweru and Kwekwe General hospitals.
Meanwhile, the President has also declared Director Investments in the President’s Department Nash Nasha Dzimiri a National Hero.
ZANU PF National Political Commissar Mike Bimha delivered the message to the family on Sunday night.
“Tambaoga Mwanangu” as Dzimiri was popularly known died on the 16th of April in Harare. He was from the Midlands Province.
