Dinner to remember Nkomo

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THE Joshua Nkomo National Foundation (JNNF) will host a dinner at the Rainbow Hotel in Bulawayo on Saturday to commemorate the life of the revered late veteran nationalist.

THE Joshua Nkomo National Foundation (JNNF) will host a dinner at the Rainbow Hotel in Bulawayo on Saturday to commemorate the life of the revered late veteran nationalist.

OWN CORRESPONDENT

JNNF chief executive Jabulani Hadebe said they had settled for June 7 because it is the birthday of the late vice-president.

“Initially we had planned the event for April 22, but we decided as members of the foundation to celebrate his life on the day he was born which is 7 June.

“We are urging members of the corporate world to come and join us at this event as we remember Umdala Wethu,” Hadebe said.

The purpose of the dinner, according to Hadebe, is to ensure that Nkomo’s ideas and philosophies are transferred into a legacy that would be practiced by generations to come.

Nkomo has a rich history having worked as a social worker in then Rhodesia Railways. He was secretary-general of the Railway African Workers’ Union in 1951 before becoming president of the African National Congress from 1952 to 1957.

In 1960, Nkomo was elected president of the National Democratic Party and then president of Zapu from 1961 to 1987. He was also the commander of the Zapu military wing Zipra.

At independence in 1980, Nkomo became MP for the Midlands and Home Affairs minister. He became a Minister without Portfolio in 1981 and MP for Magwegwe from 1985 to 1990.

After the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987, Nkomo was appointed Senior Minister in 1988 and became vice-president in 1990 until his death in 1999.

Tickets for the dinner cost $50 for individuals and $500 for a table. Indigenisation minister Francis Nhema would be the host.