LIBERATION war icon Edgar Tekere was on Thursday declared a national hero by the party he helped found.

Zanu PF said the decision was "unanimous".

"There was a considerable majority who felt he deserves to be a national hero. It was never in doubt," said the party's secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa.

Tekere, who died aged 74 on Tuesday, will be buried at the Heroes Acre in Harare unless his family objects.

The decision was expected after President Robert Mugabe's fullsome tribute to his fallen comrade, although they never saw eye-to-eye after Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.

That ability to disagree, said Mugabe, made him unique.

"Fearless and highly temperamental, the late Cde Tekere did not hesitate to take risks for his cause, often paying a heavy price in the process," Mugabe said.