Josiah Tungamirai, Minister for Black Empowerment and Indigenisation in Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s government, has died while receiving treatment at a clinic in South Africa, state radio announced on Friday.
Family members, who asked not to be identified, said the retired Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) commander had been having problems with the rejection of a kidney transplant carried out several years ago. He was reported to be in his late 50s.
Mugabe’s politburo was convening to declare him a national hero and a state funeral was expected at the Heroes’ Acre national cemetery outside Harare.
Mugabe customarily uses such occasions to make fiery statements on pressing issues, which may include Zimbabwe’s request for ”unconditional” South African help meeting $295-million arrears to the International Monetary Fund.
The chief political commissar of Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army during its 1964-1980 war to overthrow white rule in former Rhodesia, Tungamirai became a brigadier in the newly formed Zimbabwe National Army after 1980 independence.
In 1982 Mugabe transferred him to command the air force, which had had an all-white officer corps.
Tungamirai insisted on being taught to fly and obtained his ”wings.”
In line with Mugabe’s policy of having senior soldiers, civil servants and judges active in the ruling Zanu-PF party, he appointed Tungamirai to its top policy-making body, the 40 member politburo, as secretary for youth affairs. On retirement he was brought into Parliament and the Cabinet.
He was on the ”targeted sanctions” list of prominent regime supporters banned from travel to the United States, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand, and barred from having bank accounts there.
Tungamirai bought a farm near Masvingo, on a willing-buyer, willing-seller basis, before the February 2000 launch of Mugabe’s ”fast track” redistribution of former white owned land to black Zimbabweans. He was considered a model emergent commercial farmer.
Mugabe made unsuccessful attempts to promote Tungamirai as a political strongman of the influential Karanga section of Zimbabwe’s majority Shona tribal group, but he never succeeded in ousting Eddison Zvobgo, who died last year.
Tungamirai and Zvobgo were seriously injured 10 years ago when the car in which they were traveling together crashed in their home area near the southern town of Masvingo.
To calm a nationwide frenzy of speculation, both were forced to issue strong statements there was no foul play involved. – Sapa-AP