NATIONAL hero Dr Dumiso Dabengwa’s family and the Dumiso Dabengwa Foundation (DDF) have opened a condolence messages book in honour of the liberation icon which members of the public will sign.

MDC Treasurer General David Coltart, Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya-Moyo, Bulawayo Minister of State Judith Ncube and several other high ranking public figures already signed the book at Dr Dabengwa’s residence in Fourwinds suburb, Bulawayo, yesterday.

Dr Dabengwa died on Thursday in Kenya, Nairobi while on his way to Zimbabwe from India where he had been taken for medical treatment. He died aged 79 following a liver-related ailment that started last year in November.

DDF director and legacy manager Mthulisi Hanana said the book will be available for the public in five cities worldwide today.

“The family working with the DDF have launched a Dr Dumiso Dabengwa condolence messages book. The book will be availed to the public to record the memories they had with Dr Dabengwa. One of the books will be here in his house (Fourwinds suburb) where mourners are gathered while another will be placed somewhere near Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Statue in the city centre. Another will be placed in Harare, another in Gauteng Province, South Africa, another in London, Britain, and the last one will be in New York, America,” said Mr Hanana.

He said specific information of where the books will be placed for public signing in areas outside Bulawayo will be availed on the DDF website and their Twitter handle @DDabengwaFdn.

Condolence messages continued to pour in yesterday with several eminent people visiting the family’s residence.

Speaking at the family home on behalf of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has snubbed Dabengwa’s burial, ZANU PF spokesperson Khaya Moyo said Dabengwa was the greatest revolutionary for Zimbabwe.

“He was one of the greatest revolutionaries, very principled, very focused, a man of purpose, a man of destiny. He never had time for gossip; neither did he believe in any existence of a tribe and region or race. To him humanity was supreme. He was a man who was very humble but very deep in thinking. A mentor to many revolutionaries and freedom fighters. If it wasn’t for the role he played during the liberation struggle as our intelligence supremo we would have gone into a number of disasters because of the viciousness of the enemy,” said Khaya-Moyo.

He also paid tribute to his family, particularly his wife Mrs Zodwa Dabengwa for remaining strong even during the sad departure of her husband.

“I must say I salute his wife Zodwa, she is very strong, because when he passed on she was virtually alone in a foreign land and I’ve just seen her now at home and I can tell that his attributes, the late Dumiso Dabengwa’s attributes also filtered into her because she is very very strong. The entire family is also showing signs of bravery because there are not many who can stand such a storm,” he said.

“It is a storm because we can never have a man of his calibre in terms of service to humanity who never at any stage hated other people, he was hated himself by other people but he never retaliated.”

Also, at the family residence was Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni who revealed that in honour of Dr Dabengwa the council has shifted the city’s 125th anniversary celebrations which were set for Saturday, June 1 to Monday, June 4.

“As the City of Bulawayo we also mourn with the Dabengwa family following the death of the liberation icon. We also remember him for the contributions he made for the development of Bulawayo, particularly the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project. We hoped the project would be completed in his lifetime but since he is gone we hope it will be completed in our lifetime,” said Clr Mguni.

He said Dr Dabengwa’s family, his foundation and party Zapu among members of the public should find ways of immortalising Dr Dabengwa’s works and the council will support their initiatives.

Clr Mguni said council cannot impose a way of honouring Dr Dabengwa, but will consider proposals made by the residents.