ZIPRA deputy political commissar Richard Dube has died.He was 70.
LUYANDUHLOBO MAKWATI OWN CORRESPONDENT
Dube, also known as Gedi, was a retired army colonel and succumbed to a vascular problem last week on Friday in South Africa where he had gone for a medical checkup.
His body is still in South Africa. The Dube family and Zapu are working on modalities to have it repatriated to Zimbabwe for burial.
Zapu president Dumiso Dabengwa said the party had sent documents detailing Dube’s armed struggle role to Zanu PF so he could be granted hero status.
But Dabengwa said Zapu is not begging Zanu PF to grant him the status but they had presented the credentials to those who say they know better about the armed struggle to make a decision on what they think is best.
“We have sent his credentials to Harare to Zanu PF members so that they could look at them,” said Dabengwa.
“However, by so doing we are not begging them that he must be a hero but those who know the liberation and the history of the country will ascertain a proper status for him.”
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Zapu spokesperson Mark Mbayiwa said Dube diligently undertook his national tasks in the supervision and co-ordination of liberation war efforts with selfless determination.
“He is a man that we looked up to as he was dedicated and he feared no one,” Mbayiwa said. “He discharged his duties for the benefit of all Zimbabweans,” he said.
Dube worked with the likes of the late national hero Jevan Maseko and retired Brigadier Ambrose Muthiniri, among others.
Dube was the first black Commandant of the Zimbabwe School of Infantry based at Mbalabala in 1984.
He also worked as Commandant of the Inyanga Battalion Battle School.
Dube retired from the army in April 1990.
He was involved in several peace keeping missions and is remembered for his work as a peace mission consultant for the Zimbabwe Demobilisation Advisory Team and United Nations operations in Somaliland in 1993 and 1994.
Dube is survived by his wife Assah, five children and three grandchildren.
Mourners are gathered at number 102 Edenfield Road, Matsheumhlope in Bulawayo.
