MASVINGO – The late Professor Boniface Samuel Chivore (72), who was a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has been conferred with the liberation war hero status.
He will be buried at Masvingo Provincial Heroes Acre on Sunday.
Chivore was an active member of Zanu PF in the UK and he housed luminaries of the party during the Lancaster House Conference. He is one of the architects of mass training for teachers through programmes like ZINTEC at independence.
ZANU PF Masvingo Provincial Chairperson Robson Mavhenyengwa has confirmed the conferment in an interview with The Mirror.
“Yes, Prof Chivore has been declared provincial hero. He will be buried on Sunday,” he said.
The letter of conferment dated January 12 is signed by ZANU PF Secretary General Obert Mpofu.
“His Excellency, the President and First Secretary of ZANU PF Cde Dr E.D Mnangagwa has conferred a State Assisted Funeral: Liberation Hero status to the late Cde Boniface Samuel Chivore who died on 07 January 2024 and will be buried at the Provincial Heroes Acre, Masvingo,” reads the hero declaration letter in possession of The Mirror.
His body was taken to his Chishawasha hills house in Harare from Masvingo late yesterday and a church service is expected to be held tomorrow (Saturday) between 10:30 and 12:30pm at UZ Chapel.
Prof Chivore died in an ambulance as he was being ferried from his farm at Chipinda Resettlement near Mbungo to Makurira Clinic in Masvingo on Sunday afternoon.
UZ Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Mapfumo described his death as a huge loss to education and in particular teacher training programmes as he was involved with all teachers’ colleges linked to UZ.
