The National Heroes Acre will host 223 families of National Heroes during the 2025 National Heroes Day Celebrations
By Dickson Bandera
Zimbabwe is set to commemorate the 2025 Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day with final preparations now complete. A total of 223 families of fallen liberation war heroes are expected to attend the Heroes Day at the iconic National Heroes Acre in Harare while the Defence Forces Day will see the nation converging at Rufaro stadium.
These two commemorative holidays—Heroes Day and Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day—hold deep national significance. Observed every August, they pay tribute to the gallant men and women who fought for Zimbabwe’s liberation and honour the continued role of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) in defending national sovereignty, ensuring peace, and promoting development.
This year’s events will be particularly noteworthy with the posthumous conferment of national hero status on four distinguished individuals: Cde. Benjamin Burombo, Brigadier-General (Rtd.) Lameck Francisco Mutanda, Cde. John Mbedzi, and Cde. Jairos Jiri. President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to present national flags to the families of the honourees during the official ceremony.
Profiles of the Newly Declared National Heroes
Cde. Benjamin Burombo was a pioneering nationalist and fearless trade unionist who championed the rights of African workers in the 1940s and 1950s. A staunch critic of colonial rule, Burombo’s activism laid the groundwork for Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle before his untimely death in 1959.
Brigadier-General (Rtd.) Lameck Francisco Mutanda, also known by his Chimurenga name Kamhiripiri, was a seasoned liberation war veteran and strategic military figure. He joined the armed struggle in 1975 and went on to serve in various key roles within the Zimbabwe National Army after independence. His service included a diplomatic stint as Military Attaché and participation in the United Nations Commission of Inquiry into the 1994 Rwanda Genocide. He passed away on May 22, 2024, in Bradford, United Kingdom.
Cde. John Mbedzi, who died in 1987, was a dedicated freedom fighter and former ZANU PF chairperson for Matabeleland South. He played a crucial role in mobilising youth to join the liberation war through media outreach from Zambia. His remains were interred in Matshiloni Village, Beitbridge East. His recognition, posthumously declared in September 2024, underscores efforts to honour regional liberation icons.
Cde. Jairos Jiri was a revered philanthropist and disability rights advocate. He founded the Jairos Jiri Association, one of Zimbabwe’s most influential institutions dedicated to supporting people with disabilities and vulnerable communities. Jiri passed away in 1982, and his elevation to national hero status symbolises the inclusion of civilian contributions in the national narrative.
Corrective Recognition Under the Second Republic
The acknowledgement of these four figures is part of a broader initiative by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to recognise previously overlooked or marginalised contributors to Zimbabwe’s history. In recent years, figures like James Chikerema and Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole have also been honoured posthumously, reversing decades of exclusion under the First Republic’s official historical record.
ZDF’s Role Beyond the Barracks
In the run-up to Defence Forces Day, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces have been engaged in Community Assistance Week—an initiative that underscores their development-oriented mandate. Soldiers have been deployed nationwide to assist in building and refurbishing clinics, schools, bridges, and boreholes, reaffirming the ZDF’s commitment to national service beyond military defence.
Defence Forces Day will be commemorated on 12 August at Rufaro Stadium in Harare under the theme: “Zimbabwe Defence Forces: Guaranteeing Peace and Stability for the Attainment of Vision 2030.” The event will feature a military parade, live performances, and a football match between the ZDF Select Team and Castle Premier Soccer League champions Simba Bhora.
