'Zanu-PF caused Midzi's death'

FORMER Cabinet minister Amos Midzi was so devastated by his suspension from Zanu-PF that he committed suicide, his colleague said yesterday.

Munyaradzi Banda, a former Zanu-PF Central Committee member who was recently suspended on allegations of working with former Vice-President Joice Mujuru to topple President Robert Mugabe, said Midzi felt betrayed by the party leadership.

He was speaking at a church service at the late Midzi's Mt Pleasant home before his burial at Glen Forest Cemetery outside Harare yesterday in the afternoon. Banda said Midzi was one of Mugabe's most loyal cadres who served Zanu-PF diligently and was, therefore, devastated by his suspension from the only party he had known all his life.

The former Mines minister was found dead in his car on Tuesday at his farm in Beatrice in a suspected case of suicide.

Police recovered poisonous substances and sleeping tablets in the locked car. His death came barely a month after he was suspended from Zanu-PF in the on-going purge against Mujuru loyalists. So far, more than 141 party bigwigs have succumbed to the political purge.

Midzi was not accorded any hero status, but got a State-assisted funeral.

Banda said although Midzi was denied national hero status, that would not take away his nationalistic credentials. The former central committee member said the former Energy minister was a gallant party cadre who rose through the party ranks and was very loyal to Mugabe, the reason why he was devastated when he was suspended.

Banda said he was surprised by the level of divisions in Zanu-PF that resulted in the party failing to honour Midzi with national heroes' status.

Banda said there was no conflict over the control of Midzi's death by Zanu-PF factions, saying they had already planned the very day that he died that he would be buried at Glen Forest Cemetery, unless something else came up.