By Zachary Gava
Harare, (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday led thousands of mourners in bidding farewell to national hero Edward Raradza, describing him as a “Son of the Soil” whose life embodied patriotism, hard work and the determination to ensure Zimbabweans took charge of their country’s land, resources and economy.
President Mnangagwa said Raradza, who was buried at the National Heroes Acre in Harare before thousands of mourners, had left an enduring legacy across agriculture, mining, industry, politics and the church.
He said Raradza’s contribution to the country went beyond involvement in politics, as he became an influential farmer and entrepreneur who helped advance agricultural mechanisation, local industrialisation and the empowerment of communities.
“His life must serve as a reminder of the urgent work that lies before us,” President Mnangagwa said, urging the emergence of more Zimbabwean industrialists capable of driving value addition and beneficiation.
Raradza died last Friday aged 79 and was declared a national hero in recognition of his contribution to agriculture and economic development.
Born in Murehwa on July 2, 1947, Raradza grew up under the Rhodesian colonial system and became politically active at a young age.
While studying at St Benedict School in Macheke in 1965, he witnessed the racial inequalities in the education system before moving to Salisbury, now Harare, where he joined the ZANU Youth League in Highfield in 1966.
He was subsequently mentored by early nationalists, including the late Cdes Chinamano and Marere, and participated in resistance activities against colonial rule.
In 1977, he was arrested by the Rhodesian Special Branch and detained at St Mary’s Police Station until 1978.
Following Independence in 1980, Raradza committed himself to nation-building, serving in various ZANU PF leadership positions, including as Chitungwiza branch chairman and political commissar for Malbereign.
He later served as district chairman for Hwata in Centenary and was elected to the party’s Central Committee in 2008, a position he held until his death.
But it was in agriculture that Raradza established one of his most enduring legacies.
A tobacco farmer and former vice chairperson of the Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union, he also served as the union’s Mashonaland Central provincial chairman, helping mobilize farmers and establish structures across the country.
He became a prominent tobacco and cotton farmer, while his livestock production earned him the National Farmer Award of Excellence at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in 2003 and 2004.
President Mnangagwa said Raradza also played a role in advancing agricultural mechanisation by facilitating the importation of machinery and equipment from China under the Look East policy.
As executive chairman of Farmers World Holdings, he expanded access to agricultural inputs, including fertiliser, while also establishing a fertiliser blending plant in Malawi.
His contribution to agriculture was further reflected in his service on the boards of institutions including the Agricultural Finance Corporation, Grain Marketing Board and Dorowa Minerals.
Raradza subsequently extended his entrepreneurial activities into mining, founding Zambezi Gas Zimbabwe, where he served as managing director at the time of his death.
President Mnangagwa said the company had become a major supplier of coal to Zimbabwe’s power generation sector while creating employment and supporting communities.
“Let more industrialists in the mould of our late national hero, Cde Raradza, emerge,” he said.
Raradza also served as Member of Parliament for Muzarabani South from 2008 to 2013, supporting agricultural projects benefiting small-scale farmers and women’s cooperatives.
Away from politics and business, he was ordained a Bishop in the African Apostolic Church in 2022 under the late National Hero Archbishop Paul Mwazha.
President Mnangagwa said Raradza’s life demonstrated the importance of combining national development with moral and spiritual values, urging the church and other stakeholders to promote unity, peace, hard work and social cohesion.
President Mnangagwa said the late hero had defended and tilled the land, contributed to industrialisation and ministered to many people.
“Famba zvakanaka mwana wevhu. You fought a good fight, you ran your race with distinction, and kept the faith,” he said.
Raradza is survived by his wife Julia, 11 children, 26 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
New Ziana
