Viral video not 'Bombshell' Geza

Former Zanla guerrillas have dismissed claims that a widely circulated old grainy video features war veterans' leader Blessed Runesu Geza, who has been making headlines for his bold calls demanding President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s resignation.

According to the ex-combatants, the video actually depicts Boaz Matarise, a former Zanla field commander who played a key role in the liberation struggle. Matarise was reportedly related to Mnangagwa's late first wife, Jayne Matarise, who passed away on January 31, 2002, due to cervical cancer.

Sources within the war veterans’ ranks state that Matarise died in 1991, decades before the current political turmoil involving Geza. They argue that the misidentification of the video is an attempt to manipulate historical narratives amid rising tensions between the government and discontented war veterans.

Geza has emerged as a vocal critic of Mnangagwa, challenging the ZANU-PF leadership and calling for urgent political change. His stance has rattled the ruling party, with some insiders accusing him of sowing divisions within the war veterans' community.

As the political atmosphere in Zimbabwe becomes increasingly charged, the misattribution of the video underscores the broader battle over historical and contemporary narratives within ZANU-PF and its liberation war legacy.

Not Bombshell Geza! pic.twitter.com/Q9o446kuBF

— Bulawayo24 News (@Bulawayo24News) February 16, 2025