Ambassador Victor Matemadanda Declared National Hero for Liberation and Diplomatic Service
By Desire Tshuma
HARARE – The late Ambassador Victor Matemadanda has been conferred National Hero status by President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa in recognition of his contribution to Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle and his service to the nation as envoy to Mozambique and Eswatini.
The announcement was made yesterday by ZANU PF Secretary for External Affairs, Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, who conveyed the decision to the Matemadanda family.
Matemadanda died while serving as Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique and the Kingdom of Eswatini. During the liberation war, he left a comfortable life in Zambia to join the fight against Rhodesian rule, mobilising support for fighters and refugees in camps across Zambia and Mozambique and later transporting war material to operational forward points.
At independence, he joined the Zimbabwe National Army, serving with distinction, and later became a leading advocate for war veterans through the Veterans Association. As ZANU PF’s National Political Commissar, he was credited with bringing vibrancy to the Party as it moved beyond the First Republic.
In his most recent diplomatic posting, Matemadanda traversed Mozambique to lobby for the rehabilitation of burial sites and shrines where countless Zimbabwean freedom fighters lie in mass graves — a mission President Mnangagwa has pledged the Second Republic will complete in Matemadanda’s honour.
The conferment of National Hero status places Matemadanda among Zimbabwe’s most revered liberation stalwarts, ensuring he will be laid to rest at the National Heroes Acre.
