By Mthulisi Nxumalo

MIDLANDS Province has been plunged into mourning following the death of liberation war veteran Cde Mdege Scott, who died at Kwekwe General Hospital on October 9, 2026, after a long illness.

Scott, who was 73, was laid to rest at the Provincial Heroes Acre, where mourners gathered to honour a man whose life was marked by resistance against colonial rule, political activism and efforts to empower black miners.

His death is a loss to the liberation war veterans’ community and the province at large, with officials describing him as a committed nationalist who endured imprisonment and torture during the struggle for Zimbabwe’s independence.

Speaking at the burial, Dr Edgar Seenza, Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Midlands Province, said Scott’s death was a huge blow to the province, ZANU PF, war veterans and the Zimbabwe Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees Association.

“His passing on is yet another huge blow to our province,” Seenza said, extending condolences to the Scott family and noting that the nation continued to enjoy the freedom for which the late veteran had sacrificed.

Born on November 25, 1952, in Aliwal North, South Africa, Scott relocated to then Que Que, now Kwekwe, in 1958 after apartheid was introduced. He attended Bembezaan Primary School before proceeding to Marist Brothers in Kwekwe.

His political involvement began during the colonial era, when nationalist mobilisation was intensifying across the country. In 1971, he was arrested for disrupting a meeting organised by the Centre Party, which the burial speech described as a neo-colonialist group. He was sentenced to six weeks in prison, where he was tortured.

Scott later became more deeply involved in the liberation struggle, deciding to join the fight in 1975 in response to the racial discrimination and economic exclusion imposed by the white minority government.

His journey towards joining the struggle took him through Mozambique and Botswana as nationalist networks mobilised support for the fight against colonial rule.

However, his activism came at a heavy personal cost. Scott was arrested by the Sun-Yat-Sen Police and tortured before being imprisoned at Khami Maximum Prison in Bulawayo, where he remained until his release in 1977.

Following independence in 1980, he continued his political work at grassroots level, with his focus shifting towards economic empowerment.

In 1984, he partnered with the Small-Scale Miners Association of Zimbabwe to advance the interests of emerging black miners, becoming involved in efforts to improve their participation in the mining sector.

Seenza said Scott remained committed to political mobilisation and economic empowerment throughout his life, describing him as a consistent figure whose contribution would be remembered by those who worked alongside him.

Scott’s conferment of Liberation Hero status by President Emmerson Mnangagwa recognised his contribution to the liberation struggle and his political work, Seenza said.

As the Midlands community bids farewell to another veteran of the struggle, Scott’s life serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who endured imprisonment, torture and exclusion in the fight against colonial rule.

For his family, the loss is deeply personal. For the province, it marks the departure of a generation whose experiences were shaped by the struggle for independence and the challenges of rebuilding the country afterwards.