ZBC

THE late national hero, Stanley Gagisa Nleya is expected to be laid to rest at the National Heroes Acre this Wednesday. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic only invited guests will attend the burial which will be covered live by the ZBC.

A spokesperson for the Nleya family, Tshaha Nleya told the Zbc News that the family is being guided by government dictates of how national heroes are buried.

This comes after the family also requested that the body lie in state at the Nleya rural home overnight before being flown to Harare for burial.

“We made the request because his mother is still alive but she is now bedridden due to advanced age,” said the family spokesperson.

Nleya, whose Chimurenga name was Gagisa, was one of Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) commanders during the war of independence.

He also trained current Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Phillip Valerio Sibanda.

He succumbed to heart disease on Tuesday at United Bulawayo Hospitals where he had been admitted.

He is survived by three children and two grandchildren. Mourners are gathered at Number 30 New Luveve in Bulawayo.