Major General Chanakira laid to rest
Brian Rungano Temba
Late Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Vice President, Major General (Rtd) Godfrey Chanakira was laid to rest at the National Heroes Acre today.
He passed away at West End Hospital on May 2022 after a short illness related to his heart condition.
He was 65.
Major General Chanakira whose ‘nom de guerre’ or Chimurenga Name was Cde Garikai Musavengana was born on 24 May 1957 at Mutepfa homestead near Shandure Primary School under Chief Marange, Manicaland Province
He was the fourth born in a family of six
Young Godfrey Chanakira enrolled for Sub A and Sub B at Shandure Primary School. He proceeded to do his Standard 2 before the Grade 1-7 system was introduced in 1966.
After he passed his Grade 7 in 1969 he gained admission into St. Augustine, Penhalonga in 1970 for his form 1.
Major General Chanakira benefited from a benevolent scholarship at the school which was administered by Father Noel Williams of the Anglican Church.
In 1973 after completing his Ordinary Level and passing University of Cambridge GCE Examinations, he enrolled for lower sixth studies at Mzilikazi High in Bulawayo.
He studied Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
He later enrolled for a degree in Engineering at the then University College of Rhodesia.
The Pre-Independence Political Life of the late Major General Chanakira was constituted of racial injustices at the University College of Rhodesia.
Most black engineering students would be failed in the Final Qualifying Examinations as engineering was considered preserved for whites.
It was the assassination of Cde Herbert Chitepo in March 1975 that marked his turning point into absconding school and saw him cross the border into Mozambique to join the ZANLA on 28 July 1975.
Cde Chitepo was a former scholar of St Augustine and was held as role model by scholars at the institution.
Major General Chanakira was joined the battle front alongside other former St. Augustine students, namely:
Arnold Mundieta, Shadreck Tsikwa, Louis Kajawu, Thomas Mabika, Elisha Murira and Sherpherd Madziro who escaped from school despite the 6pm to 6am curfew thereby risking being shot in the process.
The late freedom fighter was among the 700 recruits selected to proceed to Tanzania aboard Mapinduzi Ship in December 1975 to Dar-es-Salam headed for Mgagao.
They began guerilla warfare training grounded in the Maoist doctrine of a Protracted People’s War in the early 1976 under the mentorship of General (Rtrd) and Hon. VP CGDN Chiwenga and the late Air Marshal Perence Shiri, the late Major General Amoth Chimombe, the late Brig Gen Standreck Chitekedze and Major General (Rtrd) Gibson Mashingaidze among other instructors.
Major General Chanakira completed his initial training in October 1976 and received specialized field training as a section medic.
He was deployed to Nyajena Detachment in Sector 1 of ZANLA’s Gaza Operational Province under the command of Air Marshal (Rtrd) Henry Machena where he would spend weeks in a cave treating wounded comrades.
Major General Chanakira survived clothing poisoning which was part of the Rhodesian Forces Chemical Biological Warfare campaign in April 1977.
Major Gen Chanakira was deployed to the Fort Victoria area under Zimbabwe Ruins Detachment. 11 fighters were poisoned after being given clothing coated with a chemical agent with a perspiration effect.
As the medic he managed to save six of the 11 poisoned fighters without any antidote, resorting to using traditional concoctions.
He was later appointed to command a section of seven soldiers with whom he fought several skirmishes in the Mushawasha area and surrounding Tribal Trust Lands until receiving reinforcements in 1978.
In December 1978 He was promoted to Detachment Security and Intelligence Officer for Zaka A across Mutirikwi River.
In March 1979, he was further promoted to become the Detachment’s Second-in-Command and Political Commissar.
Post Independence was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army where he held numerous positions rising in ranks from Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier General and Major General.
In January 2018 he was promoted to Permanent Secretary in the Office of Vice President (Rtd) General CGDN Chiwenga, a post he held until his untimely death.
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