By Josephine Mukute| Good morning Bishop Manhanga, Pastor Dambaza and members of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Upper Room Ministries congregation here present.

I acknowledge the presence of a number of Ambassadors and thank you Your Excellencies for your support.

I acknowledge the attendance of those from the Government departments, Law Society of Zimbabwe, Legal fraternity and corporate sector here present, Dad, mum, the Mukute and Dumbutshena families, Norton constituents who have come out in support, friends and colleagues

All protocols respectfully observed.

I’ve written countless speeches, stood up before many platforms and spoken at numerous occasions but never did I imagine that I would be speaking at my baby sister’s funeral, it’s just not right. Vee and I shared endless conversations about how one day I would coordinate the best wedding ever seen for her but instead I’ve run around for her funeral….

Vee is amazing! Vee is a hard working all rounder and Vee is stubborn lol. Have you ever had the pleasure of being with someone who just gets you and knows what you want to say without you having to go into too much detail? Well that’s how it was with me and Vee. So much so that we called each other twins.

Whilst she’s my baby sister, Vee is mature beyond her age and she would often give me sound advice on many issues. The thing I appreciated about Vee’s advice is that she didn’t sugar coat things or tell me what I wanted to hear. She was honest and straightforward and when she could see I was being hard headed would try to be as diplomatic as she could and change strategy to make me see sense.

Vee is methodical and diligent with her work. I have had the great opportunity to speak with many of you who have shared experiences with Vee and whilst circumstances may differ her adept dexterity and proficiency remain constant in all accounts.

Vee is at the brink of her take off. Her astute intelligence has seen her win many key legal cases which will lay the foundation for an illustrious career. So upright and committed is Vee that I can see her stepping in her late grandfather’s shoes one day and becoming the Chief Justice, such is the depth of her integrity and sense of moral compass.

Vee works hard and plays hard too. Vee likes the finer things in life but also knows that to be able to afford them one has to put in the hours. Fiercely independent, Vee knows what she wants and how to achieve it. I’m proud of the way in which she’s grown her practice to a stage where she’s able to look after mum and look after mum she does with a fierce passion. There’s nothing that is too much for mum and Vee always makes sure she brings her something when she travels or happens to bump into something she knows she would like.

If you know Vee you’ll know that Vee loves shoes! We’ve often almost missed flights having to drag her out of the mall.

Let me let you in on a conversation about funerals we often shared. We promised each other that if one went before the other, that we would make sure that our funerals were a celebration party for popping champagne and drinking Remi, a celebration with no mourning or tears. So I’m sorry Vee, I’ve let you down, please forgive me but I’ve realised that it was easy for us to say that because we were together and now I can’t do it because it’s not a party without my sister.

Let me digress slightly, on Saturday when I made the fateful journey to collect my sister from Masvingo, I obviously had the opportunity to travel on the Masvingo – Harare road. In short what I can tell you from that experience is that the journey was a nightmare due to the deplorable state of the road. As the busiest road in the country, there is no way that Government can continue to sanction its use, it should be condemned! It is a death trap of bumpy surfaces and narrow strips unfit to travel at even 30kms per hour on. I therefore, as a person who has lost my sister on that murderous road appeal to the authorities to put selfish interests aside and focus on the rehabilitation of the road in order to mitigate the loss of life. It’s long overdue.

Oh and by the way, yes I know I’m still talking about Vee in the present, it’s because I’m not ready to let go. It’s not God’s plan and her time hadn’t come. My sister didn’t deserve such a tragic and abrupt end. She was someone that was such an energetic and bubbly force who touched the lives of many, such a tenacious and vibrant character should not be snuffed out so easily.

So outwardly I will be strong and get things done, but inside my spirit is broken and I’m torn because I just don’t know how I’m going to get on without my twinnie, I can’t imagine that we’re never taking another photo or trip together and I can’t imagine that she’s not here.