ZIMBABWE this week introspects as people remember the late national hero and Vice-President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo who died 16 years ago on July 1 1999, after a lifetime of personal sacrifice and selfless service to the people.
The late freedom fighter’s death plunged the entire nation into mourning, yet vivid memories of his love for the people and his sacrifice for unity and peace still linger.
A unifier par-excellence in life and after his death, Dr Nkomo is synonymous with the peace and development that Zimbabwe is enjoying today.
The major milestone in Zimbabwe’s political history since independence was the signing of the Unity Accord on December 22 1987 by Cde Nkomo, the leader of the Patriotic Front ZAPU and Cde Robert Mugabe representing ZANU PF.
The agreement ushered peace following a spate of violence in Matabeleland provinces and part of the Midlands and Mashonaland which left hundreds of people dead.
President Mugabe described this brief period as regrettable and as a moment of madness.
The 1987 Unity Accord was a successful attempt to get over that dark chapter in the history of the country.
It sealed the relationship between two parties whose military wings, ZIPRA and ZANLA had waged a joint protracted war for more than a decade to dislodge the minority repressive regime of Ian Smith, the last white Prime Minister of Rhodesia.
Essentially, the two former parties irrevocably committed themselves, under the new agreement, to unite under the umbrella of ZANU PF, whose leader would be Cde Mugabe.
Below him would be two Vice-Presidents, one from each of the two former political parties.
ZANU PF was represented by the late Cde Simon Muzenda, while the Patriotic Front ZAPU was represented by Dr Nkomo.
An affable man, Dr Nkomo could easily relate with people from all walks of life and regions of the country.
This earned him titles like ‘Father Zimbabwe’, ‘Umdala Wethu’, ‘Chibwechitedza’ and ‘Mwana wevhu’, an indication that he was indeed a son of Zimbabwe who wished for unity among all Zimbabweans.
It is because of his selfless service to the people that Dr Nkomo is arguably one of the country’s most decorated national hero.
The Government identified many projects meant to honour Umdala Wethu for his leading role in the liberation struggle and in nation building.
Several months after his death on June 27 2000, Government issued a set of four postage stamps featuring Dr Nkomo.
The following year, Airport Road in Harare and Gwanda ZINTEC College were renamed Joshua Nkomo Road and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic respectively to honour the late nationalist.
Econet Wireless has been running the Joshua Nkomo Scholarship Fund since 2005 in his honour.
Many public schools are named after him as well as a good number of housing cooperatives.
In 2013, Dr Nkomo was posthumously bestowed with a triple honour as President Robert Mugabe commissioned the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport, renamed Main Street in Bulawayo to Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street and unveiled the icon’s statue.
The triple honour was indelible ink permanently inscribing the memory of Dr Joshua Nkomo not only to Zimbabwe, but for the whole world.
Last year, a book entitled Unity and Honour: 22 December 2013 was launched in honour of Umdala Wethu.
The book is a collection of speeches honouring the late Vice-President.
The 40-page booklet captures the events of December 22 2013, where President Mugabe commissioned the Joshua Mqabuko International Airport, officiated at the unveiling of the Joshua Nkomo statue and the renaming of Main Street to Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street.
Father Zimbabwe’s legacy will definitely live on.