Hunzvi dies

War veterans leader Chenjerai Hunzvi died in hospital on 3 June 2001 but the announcement of his death was only made on State radio the following day.

He was reported to have died from cerebral malaria bit it had been an open secret that he had been suffering from HIV/Aids.

 

Full cable:

 

Viewing cable 01HARARE1784, ZIMBABWE WAR VETERANS LEADER HUNZVI IS DEAD

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Reference ID

Created

Released

Classification

Origin

01HARARE1784

2001-06-04 13:07

2011-08-30 01:44

CONFIDENTIAL

Embassy Harare

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

 

041307Z Jun 01

 

 

 

CONFIDENTIAL     PTO6274

 

PAGE 01       HARARE 01784 041306Z

ACTION AF-00

 

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AID-00   AMAD-00 EVG-00   ACQ-00   CIAE-00

INL-00   DINT-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00   EB-00

EUR-00   FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00   H-01     TEDE-00 INR-00

IO-00   LAB-01   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01   DCP-01   NSAE-00

OIC-02   OMB-01   OPIC-01 PA-00   PM-00   PRS-00   ACE-00

P-00     SP-00   IRM-00   SSO-00   STR-00   TRSE-00 USIE-00

PMB-00   DSCC-00 PRM-01   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00 SAS-00

/011W

——————F405F9 041306Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9019

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001784

 

SIPDIS

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/11

TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PINS ZI

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE WAR VETERANS LEADER HUNZVI IS DEAD

 

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 02       HARARE 01784 041306Z

REF: HARARE 1695

 

CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D’AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR

REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D).

 

1. (C) ACCORDING TO SEVERAL INDEPENDENT AND RELIABLE

SOURCES, ZIMBABWE NATIONAL LIBERATION WAR VETERANS’

ASSOCIATION CHAIRMAN AND ZANU-PF MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

CHENJERAI “HITLER” HUNZVI DIED IN HOSPITAL ON THE

AFTERNOON OF JUNE 3. AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON OFFICIAL

BROADCAST MEDIA EARLY ON THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 4

CONFIRMED HIS DEATH. HUNZVI HAD BEEN READMITTED TO A

HARARE HOSPITAL LATE LAST WEEK SHORTLY AFTER BEING

RELEASED FROM A BULAWAYO HOSPITAL (REFTEL). HOSPITAL

SOURCES CONTINUED TO TELL THE INDEPENDENT “DAILY NEWS”

LATE ON JUNE 3 THAT HUNZVI WAS STILL ON LIFE SUPPORT.

ALTHOUGH PRESS REPORTS SPECULATED THAT HUNZVI WAS ILL

WITH CEREBRAL MALARIA, IT HAD BEEN AN OPEN SECRET THAT

HE LONG SUFFERED FROM HIV/AIDS.

 

2. (C) COMMENT: WITH A 24-HOUR DELAY IN THE

ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS DEATH, GOZ OFFICIALS APPEARED TO BE

TRYING TO BUY TIME IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE

RAMIFICATIONS OF HUNZVI’S PASSING. THE GOZ LIKELY

WANTED TO WAIT FOR PRESIDENT MUGABE TO RETURN FROM ASIA

ON JUNE 3 BEFORE MAKING THE ANNOUNCEMENT. SPEAKER OF

PARLIAMENT EMMERSON MNANGAGWA CANCELLED WITH LITTLE

PRIOR NOTICE A JUNE 4 MEETING WITH CHARGE. WE SUSPECT

THAT HE AND OTHER ZANU-PF POLITBURO MEMBERS ARE HUDDLED

TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF HUNZVI’S DEATH ON THE RULING

PARTY’S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND TO COME UP WITH A

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 03       HARARE 01784 041306Z

SUCCESSOR FOR THE GOZ’S CHIEF TERRORIZER.

 

3. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: HUNZVI’S DEPARTURE FROM THE

SCENE IS NOT LIKELY TO END THE BITTER DIVISIONS THAT

HAVE WRACKED THE WAR VETERANS’ ASSOCIATION. ZANU-PF’S

RISING STAR AND HARARE WAR VETERANS LEADER JOSEPH

CHINOTIMBA WILL EVENTUALLY COME INTO CONFLICT WITH

HUNZVI’S OLD RIVAL ENDY MHLANGA, THE ASSOCIATION’S

SECRETARY-GENERAL. ALTHOUGH MUGABE HAS DONE LITTLE IN

 

SIPDIS

THE PAST TO CURB THE ASSOCIATION’S INTERNAL STRIFE AS A

WAY TO KEEP HUNZVI IN CHECK, HE WILL WANT TO MINIMIZE

RIVALRIES NOW TO ENSURE THAT THE WAR VETERANS DO NOT

LOSE THEIR WAY AND CEASE TO FUNCTION AS THE RULING

PARTY’S SHOCK TROOPS. MUGABE WILL WANT TO REASSURE

HUNZVI’S ERSTWHILE PROTEGES THAT THEY WILL BE WELL

LOOKED AFTER AND THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN

INTEGRAL PART OF THE PRESIDENT’S RE-ELECTION STRATEGY.

THE LAST THING MUGABE WANTS TO SEE NOW IS SO-CALLED WAR

VETERANS MELTING AWAY FROM THE OCCUPIED FARMS. END

COMMENT.

 

IRVING

 

CONFIDENTIAL

(65 VIEWS)

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