General Hungwe Declared National Hero Amid Secrecy Over Cause of Death – Eduzim News

By A Correspondent-The ruling party, Zanu PF, has declared Brigadier General (Retired) Jonathan Willie Hungwe a National Hero, even as authorities remain tight-lipped about the cause of his death.

The announcement was made by Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Ezra Chadzamira, at the Four Infantry Brigade in Masvingo on Tuesday following a funeral parade held in Hungwe’s honour.

Chadzamira said the conferment of national hero status was in recognition of Brigadier General (Rtd) Hungwe’s distinguished service and unwavering commitment to defending Zimbabwe’s sovereignty. However, neither the minister nor military officials provided details on the circumstances surrounding his death.

Brigadier General Hungwe died on February 26 in Rutenga, Masvingo Province. Mourners have gathered at Subdivision 3, Arco Ranch in Mwenezi, where funeral proceedings are underway.

In a brief statement, Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, Lieutenant General Asher Walter Tapfumanei, confirmed the death and announced that a funeral parade would be held at 4 Infantry Brigade in Masvingo. The statement did not disclose the cause of death.

Hungwe’s passing adds to a growing list of senior military figures who have died since the November 2017 military intervention that removed former President Robert Mugabe and ushered in the administration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

In January 2020, former Foreign Affairs Minister and retired Lieutenant General Sibusiso Moyo — who famously announced the military takeover on national television in 2017 — died after a short illness.

Retired Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, former commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe and later Minister of Lands, died in 2020 after contracting COVID-19.

In August 2021, retired Major General Paradzai Zimondi, the long-serving Commissioner-General of Prisons, also succumbed to COVID-19 complications.

Earlier, in 2019, retired Lieutenant General Douglas Nyikayaramba, who had served as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Mozambique after leaving the army, died in a car accident in that country.

While authorities have attributed most of these deaths to illness or accidents, the frequency of high-ranking military losses in the post-2017 period has continued to fuel public debate, given the central role played by the security establishment in Zimbabwe’s political transition and governance since the coup.

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces has not indicated any suspicious circumstances surrounding Brigadier General Hungwe’s death. Funeral arrangements are ongoing, with full military honours expected in line with established protocol for retired senior officers declared national heroes.

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