Shiri declared National Hero

Harare (New Ziana) – The Zanu PF Politburo on Wednesday unanimously conferred National Hero Status on the late Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Minister Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri (Rtd).

Shiri died on Wednesday morning from a yet undisclosed cause.

Zanu PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa made the announcement after the party’s politburo meeting.

He said his Province Mashonaland Central, had made a formal request to the Politburo for Shiri to be declared a National Hero.

“The Politburo has just unanimously conferred the National Hero status on comrade Perrance Shiri,” he said.

Chinamasa said the Politburo meeting had honoured Shiri with a minute silence and described his death as heartbreaking.

He said Shiri was: “One of the loyal sons of the republic and gallant warrior in the liberation struggle. He distinguished himself in every aspect of his profession. In his words, President E.D Mnangagwa said “we have lost a hard worker.”

The late Shiri was born in 1955 in Gweru.

His distinguished military history dates back to 1973 when he, together with Vice President General Constantino Chiwenga abandoned school to join the war of liberation.

He rose through the ranks to become a member of the ZANLA High Command in 1977.

At independence, he joined the Zimbabwe National Army and attained the rank of Brigadier General in 1982 before transferring to the Air Force of Zimbabwe as Air Commodore in 1984.

He then became the second Air Force of Zimbabwe commander from 1992-2017 after Air Marshal Josiah Tungamirai.

Following his retirement from the Airforce in 2017 with the title Air Chief Marshal, Shiri became a Cabinet Minister tasked with spearheading the revival of the country’s agriculture sector.

New Ziana