Remembering a true hero: Dumiso Dabengwa, the man whose fight for justice inspired me

Tendai Ruben Mbofana

On this day, 23 May, the heart of Zimbabwe beats with a heavy, yet profoundly inspired rhythm as we commemorate the passing of a true titan of our liberation struggle, Dumiso Dabengwa. 

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Seven years have vanished since this colossus left us, yet the echoes of his voice and the weight of his legacy remain as potent as ever. 

For me, this anniversary is not merely a date in history; it is a deeply personal reminder of a sacred trust. 

In early 2019, while he was admitted to a hospital in South Africa, my phone rang. 

On the other end was the legendary “Black Russian” himself. 

Despite his failing health, his voice carried the familiar, unwavering strength that had guided thousands during the liberation war. 

He told me to keep fighting for social justice. 

He said that my articles kept him strong and filled him with confidence that, even if he were to leave this earth, a new, free, and prosperous Zimbabwe would eventually be realized. 

A few months later, the devastating news came that he had passed away in India, where he had gone to receive further medical treatment. 

My heart broke into a million pieces at the loss of such a monumental figure, but within that grief, an indestructible fire was lit. 

His final words to me became an unwritten covenant, cementing my lifelong commitment to fighting for a better Zimbabwe for all its people.

Long before that final, poignant conversation, I remember the absolute disbelief that gripped me the very first time we communicated. 

Years earlier, out of nowhere, Dabengwa phoned me. 

For a moment, it was completely impossible to process that a phenomenal man of his stature—a strategist who had given everything to dismantle colonial minority rule—even knew that I existed. 

Yet, that was the defining hallmark of his greatness: an immense, unparalleled humility. 

He did not operate from an ivory tower. 

From that day onwards, a treasured bond was formed. 

Whenever his travels brought him through Kwekwe, he made it a point to call me so that we could meet in the city center for a chat, casually sitting and discussing the future of our nation. 

When I visited Bulawayo, I would pay him a visit, and with characteristic warmth, he would always offer for me to spend the night at his home. 

Although tight time constraints on my part unfortunately prevented me from ever taking him up on that generous hospitality, the sincerity of the gesture spoke volumes about his character. 

He was a man who valued people for their convictions, not their political labels. 

Even though I never joined his political party, ZAPU, which he had revived in 2008 after cutting ties with ZANU PF, he completely respected my decision and my firm unwillingness to be partisan. 

He understood that true patriotism is not confined to a party card.

Dabengwa’s entire life was an exhausting masterclass in principled leadership and sacrifice. 

During the liberation struggle, as the brilliant head of intelligence for the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army, ZIPRA, his tactical genius was central to breaking the back of the oppressive Rhodesian regime. 

He fought with everything he had so that every Zimbabwean could enjoy the right to self-determination. 

Yet, the dawn of independence in 1980 did not bring the freedom he had so dearly bled for. 

Instead, he was met with vicious post-independence persecution by a regime desperate to consolidate total power. 

In 1982, he was arrested on fabricated treason charges. 

Even after the High Court of Zimbabwe honorably acquitted him of all charges in 1983, finding absolutely no evidence of a coup plot, the state weaponized its emergency powers to keep him locked away. 

He spent four agonizing years untried in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. 

This brutal detention occurred alongside the horrific Gukurahundi atrocities, which tore through the Midlands and Matabeleland regions.

When he was finally released, Dabengwa chose national stability over personal bitterness. 

Following the 1987 Unity Accord between ZANU (PF) and PF-ZAPU, he briefly served the nation as the Minister of Home Affairs from 1992 to 2000. 

But he was never a man to sacrifice his core values for the comfort of a government ministerial post. 

When it became undeniable that the ruling elite had completely derailed from the liberation values of human rights and accountability, he walked away. 

In 2008, he bravely led the revival of ZAPU, stepping back into the political wilderness to continue his fierce fight for justice, genuine democracy, and institutional accountability. 

He refused to be silent while the ruling elite betrayed the ideals of the liberation struggle, and he maintained this relentless struggle until his final breath.

As we look at the state of our nation today, the gap left by Dumiso Dabengwa remains vast. 

He was a rare breed of leader who understood that a nation belongs to its people, not to a ruling clique. 

On this anniversary of his passing, we do not just mourn a departed hero; we celebrate a life entirely consumed by the pursuit of truth and equality. 

The legend may have left this earth, but his spirit lives on in every word written against tyranny and every action taken to demand accountability. 

I carry his hospital phone call with me every single day as a shield and a spear. 

We will not relent, we will not fold, and we will keep pushing forward until the democratic, just, and fair Zimbabwe that Dumiso Dabengwa envisioned becomes a living reality for every single citizen.

• Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. To directly receive his articles please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08