Harare (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday heaped praise on national hero Abraham Kabasa, describing him as a patriot who demonstrated unparalleled bravery, and served the country with distinction both before and after independence.
He made the remarks at the National Heroes Acre as he led mourners, who included top government officials, in laying Kabasa to rest.
President Mnangagwa said Kabasa belonged to a crop of ex-detainees, war collaborators and restrictees whose contribution to the attainment of independence, freedom and democracy accorded him special interment at the national shrine.
Kabasa died at the age of 91 last week after a long battle with cancer.
A certified nurse who used his position in pre-independence Zimbabwe to help the cause of the liberation struggle, the late national hero inspired many young freedom fighters with the will power to challenge the racist settler regime.
“This crop of pioneering nationalists helped to ignite the second phase of our struggle for independence and black majority rule.
“The early years of our armed struggle required men and women of extreme courage, bravery and sacrifice such as the late Cde. Kabasa who would in many ways collaborate with freedom fighters. This included provision of information and intelligence, mobilizing the grassroots, assisting the guerilla cadres with logistics such as food, boosting morale and nursing those wounded in battle,” President Mnangagwa said.
He said the loss of Kabasa was not to his family alone, but to the nation at large.
He urged the nation to draw lessons from Kabasa’s patriotism, consistency and persistence.
“He remained a humble, dependable and trustworthy cadre who was always ready and available to serve both the party, ZANU PF, and our beloved motherland Zimbabwe.
“The legacy bequeathed to us by our National Hero Cde. Kabasa and many others who lie across the country and beyond our borders, must be entrenched and shared across generations.”
Born on 22 December 1932 in Mutoko District in Mashonaland East province, Kabasa trained as a nurse at the then Salisbury General Hospital after completing Standard Six.
He later embarked on further training as a laboratory technician at the Blair Research Laboratory.
Kabasa thereafter trained as a dental technician at Mpilo Hospital and worked as a nurse, employed by the Ministry of Health.
He began his political activism after facing racial segregation in the Rhodesian civil service where he was an active member of the Nurses Association.
At the height of the liberation struggle, he was stationed in Mutoko where he used his position to supply drugs, clothes, shoes and other necessities to freedom fighters.
Due to his revolutionary and anti-colonial activities, the late hero became a target of the oppressive colonial regime, which saw his homestead being burnt, among other things, but he remained undeterred.
At Independence, he was elected into Parliament and became deputy speaker and also held several other positions, including Provincial governor for Mashonaland East province from 1990 to 1994.
He is survived by his wife, Miriam Kabasa, 11 children and 19 grandchildren.
New Ziana
