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Munyenyembe was a rare voice of reason - Simuusa

Munyenyembe was a rare voice of reason - Simuusa
By Mwila Chansa-Ntambi in Mufulira
Mon 13 Feb. 2012, 12:59 CAT

A MULTITUDE of people from all sectors of society on Saturday converged in Mufulira to pay their last respects to late Mineworkers Union of Zambia president Oswell Munyenyembe who died in a road accident last Tuesday.

And National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) president Mundia Sikufele has urged the labour movement in Zambia to use Munyenyembe's death to reflect and re-organise itself.

Meanwhile, mines minister Wylbur Simuusa says the government regarded the late Munyenyembe as a rare breed of a brave and courageous trade unionist.

Traffic moved slowly on the Kitwe-Chingola and Mufulira-Sabina roads as hundreds of mourners drove to the border town of Mufulira to pay their last respects to Munyenyembe whose body was interred at Chatulinga Cemetery.

Notable among those that attended the funeral were Simuusa, his deputy Richard Musukwa, works and supply deputy minister Mwenya Musenge, Copperbelt minister Davies Mwila, deputy secretary to the Cabinet in charge of administration Teddy Mulonga, ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba, Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia president Joyce Nonde-Simukoko, politicians from diverse political parties, miners and ordinary citizens.

And delivering the funeral sermon, Rev Chizason Chunda, of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian where Munyenyembe congregated, described the late trade unionist as an exceptional leader and a role model both to the Church and society at large.

Rev Chunda observed that many people might be asking questions as to why God allowed Munyenyembe to die in a tragic accident but they should remember that there was time for everything and that God's time was the best.

He observed that Munyenyembe used the time that God accorded him on earth properly because he dedicated his entire life to fighting for the betterment of human kind and fighting against injustice.

Rev Chunda added that Munyenyembe was a friend to many as could be evidenced by the multitudes that turned up to pay their last respects to him.

He challenged people to take stock of their lives and gauge whether they were using the time God had given them on earth properly.

Rev Chunda added that it did not matter how long a person lived on earth but that what mattered was how that person utilised the time that God gave them on earth.

And speaking at the burial site, Sikufele asked the Zambian labour movement to be united and seek God's guidance so that He could reveal the meaning of Munyenyembe's death.

"The voice of the labour movement which has seemingly become dim should be stronger and we should use this period to re-organise ourselves and serve the people," said Sikufele.

MUZ general secretary Chishimba Nkole said Munyenyembe's death had left a big gap in the oldest union in the mining industry in Zambia.

Nkole urged mourners to ensure that they continued showing their love for Munyenyembe by looking after his children and widow.

Hikaumba said Munyenyembe's demise was a ‘cruel thief' that had robbed the nation of a gallant and courageous leader.

Hikaumba said even though Munyenyembe was offered to stand as a member of parliament on a named political party's seat during last year's elections, he opted to continue representing workers.

And Simuusa said Munyenyembe was a rare voice of common sense and reason and that his contribution to the labour movement was unmatched.

He also said the PF government wanted to see a united and strong labour movement adding that previously, there were deliberate efforts to fragment and weaken the voice of workers.

Munyenyembe is survived by a wife Charity, six children and one grandchild.

He attended primary education in Muyombe; his secondary education in Malawi before studying architecture at the Zambia Institute of Technology (ZIT) which is now the Copperbelt University.

He began his trade union career at branch level in 1983 and rose through the ranks to become general secretary and eventually president, a position he held until his death last week.

Labels: LABOUR, MUNDIA SIFUKELE, MUZ, NUMAW, OSWELL MUNYENYEMBE, WYLBUR SIMUUSA

posted by MrK @ 2:57 PM