Tension as Gen Mujuru anniversary nears

THE late retired army general Solomon Mujuru's family is set to hold the first anniversary of his death next week amid speculation there is astonishment over official inaction involving investigations into the death of the army general who perished in an inexplicable inferno inside his farmhouse.

While an inquest into the death of Mujuru, husband to the country's Vice President, Joice Mujuru and ZANU-PF second secretary, concluded that there was no suspicion on how the general died, his family, and to a larger extent the nation, have remained dissatisfied with the official explanation.

They have been incessant calls for the exhumation of his body in order to facilitate a second autopsy after reservations were expressed over the first post-mortem conducted by a dubious Cuban medical expert.

But according to the Inquests Act, exhumation can only be granted by the co-Ministers of Home Affairs, Kembo Mohadi of ZANU-PF and Theresa Makone of the Movement for Democratic Change.

Yet despite protestations by the Mujuru family lawyer that he was applying for permission to have the body exhumed for the autopsy, nothing has happened to date.

The family's lawyer, Thakor Kewada this week indicated that there was tension as people were being cautious on the matter. He said he was doing "something" and he hoped the fruits of efforts being made would be realised before the anniversary.

"Everybody is treading carefully on this one. Far too many things are happening at the moment but I can't tell you what it is that is happening," said Kewada.

"We are getting close to the anniversary and we are hoping something will happen before then," said the lawyer, adding that he currently has not been given the nod to talk about the latest efforts of the family.

The late general's brother, Joel Mujuru could not be reached for comment this week as calls placed to his mobile phone could not get through.

He has in previous occasions expressed dissatisfaction over the manner investigations into his brother's death were handled by the State.

The magistrate who sat as coroner at the three week inquest early this year, Walter Chikwanha, ruled that there was no foul play in general Mujuru's death, instead saying he died of "carbonisation".

Speaking at the memorial service of the late general, President Robert Mugabe admitted that Mujuru's death in a fire was puzzling as he was a brave person whose high sense of alertness had saved him from similar disasters during the war of liberation.

President Mugabe said Mujuru managed to escape death by a whisker a few times before, including in Switzerland in 1976 when his hotel room was engulfed by fire during the Geneva talks. He said Mujuru managed to escape from the third floor through a window.

Air Force of Zimbabwe commander, Air Marshal Perence Shiri who was at the same event also expressed his doubts on how Mujuru died saying the death of his former commander was still a mystery up to today.

Shiri's insistence that Mujuru's death was still a mystery came as a surprise to many at the memorial, as the official position was in line with coroner Chikwanha's findings, that there was no foul play and that the cause of death was "carbonisation".

Witnesses at the inquest early this year testified that the retired general went home sober and had drunk only two tots of whisky as he wanted to wake up early in the morning of the fateful day, August 15 last year, to go to Beitbridge.