Thursday, December 12, 2013

Bulawayo honours Mandela


THE Bulawayo City Council has...
posthumously awarded the
prestigious Freedom of The City
award to former South African
president and anti-apartheid struggle
icon, Nelson Mandela, who died last
Thursday at the sage of 95.
Mandela becomes the second former
South African head of state after
Thabo Mbeki to receive the honour.
Council‘s senior public relations
officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu confirmed
that South Africa's favorite son
would be officially conferred with the
city's highest civic award soon.
Bulawayo Mayor Councilor Martin
Moyo said the award was aimed at
perpetuating Mandela's legacy of
giving and sharing.
He said the resolution to award
Freedom of the City to Mandela has
been concluded and was awaiting
signing.
"It (the award) has been granted to
Mandela through a council resolution
but the signing ceremony of that
order has not been done," Clr Moyo
said.
"There is an overwhelming interest
across the city to do something about
the death of the world icon.
We have many of our citizens in South
Africa and here in Zimbabwe we have
many Xhosa speaking people," said
Clr Moyo.
Clr Moyo said he conveyed a message
of condolence for the city at the South
African Embassy in Harare on
Wednesday.
Bulawayo has a twinning relationship
with the South African cities of Durban
and Polokwane.
Tomorrow at 9am, Bulawayo
residents, civic organisations,
churches and politicians will gather at
Bulawayo Amphitheatre for an event
to honour Mandela.
One of the organisers of the event,
Reverend Useni Sibanda said
tomorrow's programme would
include among other things, solidarity
messages from the business
community, different church
denominations, cultural groups,
traditional leaders, residents and
politicians.
Mandela's death plunged the world
into mourning with world leaders
describing Madiba, as he was
affectionately known, as a humble yet
fearless and principled man.
An emotional memorial service for
Mandela was held at a packed FNB
Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday
where world leaders from more than
90 countries, including President
Mugabe, gathered.
About 2 000 members of the public
are said to be viewing his body every
hour at the stadium, where millions
have gathered for arguably the
biggest funeral wake the world has
ever witnessed.
Mandela will be buried in his ancestral
village in Qunu, Eastern Cape
province, on Sunday
 
                                                                       
By Mafu Sithabile

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