Zimbabwe military officer found hanging was murdered

A somber atmosphere engulfed the Senate as Senator Lwazi Sibanda delivered an emotional address mourning the tragic and mysterious death of her cousin, Hillary Nleya, a military intelligence officer whose demise has sparked allegations of foul play.

Nleya, who was reported missing last month, was last seen near Redwood along the Plumtree-Bulawayo road. His body was discovered hanging from a tree in Figtree, Matabeleland South. While initially ruled a suicide, the circumstances surrounding his death have come under scrutiny due to his military ties, raising questions about the true nature of the incident.

Speaking during a parliamentary debate on the Death Penalty Abolition Bill, Senator Sibanda described her cousin’s death as a murder, highlighting the sorrow her family is enduring.

"I rise with a heavy heart," she said. "I am a woman, a mother, and a Senator of this country, yet I stand here with a cousin lying in the mortuary - Hilary Nleya - whom we searched for over two weeks, only to find him dead in Figtree. He was murdered by a person we do not yet know."

The Senator disclosed that, despite her parliamentary duties, she was preparing to bury her cousin in Dombodema, Plumtree, on Saturday.




Senator Sibanda used her platform to condemn the rising tide of violence across Zimbabwe, expressing concern about the growing number of people killed by unknown assailants. She referenced recent heinous crimes, including an incident where a family’s home was set ablaze while they slept.

She also expressed her discomfort with abolishing the death penalty, citing the lack of remorse often displayed by murderers.

"People will die. People will be killed by those we show remorse to, who don’t even show any remorse to us," she said. "It is so painful that I stand here defending people who will go out and kill their grandparents or mothers simply because there was no food to cook for dinner."

The Senator emphasized the deep emotional toll of sparing unrepentant murderers from the death penalty. "There is so much pain caused by these murderers that we are still defending as a country. We will keep them in prison for years, just to protect them from death, while they show no care for this nation."

Efforts to obtain a comment from the Zimbabwe National Army were unsuccessful, as acting spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mungofa had not responded by the time of publication.

Similarly, Matabeleland South police stated they had not received a report on the incident.

As questions about Nleya’s death remain unanswered, Senator Sibanda’s heartfelt appeal underscores the broader challenges Zimbabwe faces in addressing violence and justice in a polarized society.