Farai Dauramanzi Herald Reporter
A CHAMPION of disability rights, an outstanding speaker, and a defender of human and civil rights, the late Cde Joshua Teke Malinga lived true to the adage, “disability is not inability” until his death.
Yesterday, thousands of people gathered at the National Heroes Acre in Harare for the burial of Cde Malinga who succumbed to cancer on September 8, 2023 at his Northvale home in Bulawayo.
A nationalist who dared to confront the racist and white supremacist Rhodesian government, Cde Malinga, known by the sobriquet JT, was a man of many talents who once served as the Executive Mayor of Bulawayo, the second largest city in the country, and sat on different boards.
Speaker after speaker spoke glowingly of Cde Malinga, who died at 79, leaving indelible marks in the hearts and minds of those whose lives he touched and indeed footprints on the country’s social and political landscape.
Son to the late national hero, Dr Ntokozo Joshua Malinga, described his father as a loving person who was dedicated to the cause of People With Disabilities.
“My father was a great man, he loved us and we loved him. He is a person who lived true to his words, that disability is not inability,” said Dr Malinga.
Zanu PF Bulawayo Provincial Chairperson Cde Jabulani Sibanda said Cde Malinga helped the disabled in a way that cannot be measured in time or space.
“He helped disabled people from birth to death and I am happy that today we are here at the Heroes Acre honouring him among other freedom fighters and revolutionaries. We need to fulfill some of the things he wanted. He did his job; he enlightened us and opened our minds. I honour and salute him,” said Cde Sibanda.
Zanu PF Secretary for External Affairs, Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, who worked closely with the late Cde Malinga from the time he was an Ambassador to when he became the Minister of Public Construction and Housing, said Cde Malinga worked tirelessly to ensure persons with disabilities were accorded decent housing and services.
“When I became Minister of Public Construction and Housing, Cde Malinga was a regular visitor to my office raising the issue of how our buildings were inaccessible to people with disabilities and he pushed me hard to introduce regulations that all buildings should be accessible to people with disabilities.
“He also pushed very hard in our housing programmes to have a programme whereby some houses were specially adjusted to the needs of those with disabilities. In the Politburo he was always very concerned about issues that affected people with disabilities,” said Cde Mumbengegwi.
Dr Christine Peta, Director for Disability Affairs in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, was full of praise for the late National Hero saying that he played a central role in the formulation of the country’s National Disability Policy.
“I learnt a lot from Cde Malinga and I remember him as a father who introduced me to public administration. He was a gentle giant, as he was soft-spoken, but I learnt a lot from his words. I remember the time we were going around the country doing consultations on the disability policy, despite his old age he refused to be left behind and went with us to every province. This was due to his love for the promotion of rights for persons with disabilities,” said Dr Peta.
Zanu PF Bulawayo provincial secretary for the disabled and disadvantaged, Cde Tafuma Zhou, said Cde Malinga was his mentor.
“Besides just promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, many people benefitted from JT’s initiatives as he had a policy that ‘don’t give a man fish but give him a fishing rod’. He facilitated loans from banks for most of us which we used to start businesses and personally, I am a businessman who runs retail shops in Bulawayo.
“We also had a piggery project and rabbit project which is benefitting a lot of people with disabilities. I also learnt a lot from him on the political landscape. I managed to run for a National Assembly seat in the just-ended elections for a constituency in Bulawayo and I believe I am now also a political giant through the help I got from Cde Malinga.”
In recognition of his sterling contribution to the well-being of society, Cde Malinga was honoured with several local and international awards. These include Membership of the Golden Key International Honour Society, the George Bush Medal Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Promotion of Human Rights for Disabled People Worldwide, the Global Family Award by the International Association for Volunteer Effort; and at one time the Zimbabwe Businessman of the Year award.
Due to his leadership capabilities, he was appointed Advisory Board Member of the African Development Bank; Secretary General and Founder Member of the Pan African Federation of the Disabled; United Nations Expert on Disability and Human Rights Advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations; and twice elected President of the World-wide Body of Persons with Disabilities.
Cde Malinga was also awarded the Rotary Foundation International Paul Harris Fellow in appreciation of his role in the tangible and significant furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the World.
He is survived by a wife Ronia Malinga and 10 children, five boys and five girls.