THE late Member of Parliament for Nkulumane, Desire “Moyoxide” Moyo, was honoured on Wednesday in a solemn gathering filled with poetry and heartfelt tributes, celebrating a life dedicated to speaking truth to power.
Moyo, who was also a revered poet, died tragically last Friday in a road accident along the Bulawayo-Gweru Highway.
He was travelling with four other opposition MPs when their vehicle collided with an elephant.
He was buried in Bulawayo yesterday.
The accident occurred on the neglected infrastructure he often condemned in his powerful verse.
Friends, colleagues and admirers gathered at Nkulumane Hall to remember a man whose words captured the nation’s pain and its hope for change.
Speaking at the memorial service, Moyo’s personal assistant, Khumbulani Malinga, pledged to continue the late MP’s work.
“We are deeply saddened, but we have agreed as an office to celebrate his life,” Malinga said.
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“We assure you we will continue with everything he promised.
“Where he promised a borehole, we will install it.
“Where he promised a structure, we will build it.
“Development will continue; his vision will prevail.”
Former Sizinda lawmaker Gift “Ostallos” Siziba, who is the deputy spokesperson for the Citizens Coalition for Change, described Moyo as a man who left a profound legacy.
“He was a colleague, a friend, always soft-spoken. He knew he had an appointment with the future,” Siziba said.
“Now that he is gone, his work begins its journey. For us revolutionaries, life is about legacy.”
Siziba added that Moyoxide would live on through his contribution to society.
“Desire has left a mark in the annals of our country’s history. As long as that exists, he will continue to exist. Revolutionaries don’t die — they live through their work.”
In Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa, friends celebrated his life, stating that poetry is the only fitting way to honour him.
His close friend, Ian Mahlasela, highlighted the tragic irony of his passing.
“Moyoxide was against corruption, nepotism, maladministration and an unfair Judiciary system,” Mahlasela said.
“It’s quite shocking that most of his poems condemned the roads — and he died on one.”
Mahlasela also recalled the late MP’s unwavering commitment to empowering the youth and steering them away from drugs and despair.
