Josiah Tungamirai’s widow claims husband poisoned

By Violet Gonda
25 August 2006

Pamela Tungamirai, wife of the late Josiah Tungamirai, has claimed in a memoriam advertisement published in the Herald that her husband was killed with potato chips laced with poison.

The late Air Vice Marshall and Minister for Black Empowerment and Indigenisation died after being flown to South Africa in August last year for emergency treatment. It was reported at the time that Tungamirai had been having problems with the rejection of a kidney transplant.

But a year later on the first anniversary of his death, Tungamirai’s wife took the unusual step of claiming in an advertisement that her husband died after eating poisoned french fries (chips).

She wrote in an apparent eulogy: “What gives me relief are the obvious signs of hell on earth for all those who had a hand in the lacing of poison on those fresh chips you ate, and brought home the remains, and told me all that resulted in your immediate illness leading to your death. Vengeance is mine! Praise the Lord! I am sure you have found your rightful place on his side, and may your soul rest in peace."

Confirming these allegations on SW Radio Africa Mrs Tungamirai said her husband fell sick after he had eaten half a pack of chips which had been bought for him by his driver on his way back home from a political meeting. She said: “Straight after eating them, all the way – can you imagine an adult stopping by the roadside pouring diarrhoea on the roadside and throwing up?”

Although she did not accuse anyone in particular, Mrs Tungamirai said she suspects family members were involved. She has also had a legal clash with a senior figure in the government since her husband’s death. And the fact that the advert was published in the national government controlled newspaper has given rise to even more speculation. Was this an editorial oversight or is Mrs Tungamirai’s claim part of a high level power play within Zanu PF?

Since her husband’s death Mrs Tungamirai has been embroiled in a legal battle with retired army general Solomon Mujuru and her two step sons Thomas and Tawanda over the estate.

General Mujuru – a close friend of the late army commander - is siding with Tungamirai’s sons over the control of Tungamirai's house in Harare and a farm in Darwendale. The master of the High Court has appointed Tungamirai’s wife and Mujuru as co-executors of the will but the court is yet to rule.

The widow told us she was going to institute an inquiry into her husband’s death but “unfortunately people have delayed me because of this inheritance, administration thing. They have been delaying and arguing because there was no will so it has taken the whole year.”

She said it has always been important for her to establish who was behind this as it couldn’t have been the driver, saying he was only a messenger. Pamela Tungamirai, herself a war veteran, former Member of Parliament for Tafara / Mabvuku and a ZANU PF central committee member, said unfortunately the driver had also died before she could start the inquiries.

Josiah Tungamirai (born Thomas Mberikwazvo) was the ZANLA chief political commissar during the war of liberation. He became a brigadier in the newly formed Zimbabwe National Army after independence and in 1982 he was given command of the air force. In line with Mugabe's policy of having senior soldiers active in the ruling party he appointed Tungamirai to the 40 member politburo as secretary for youth affairs. On retirement he was brought into Parliament and the Cabinet. He was on the "targeted sanctions" list of prominent regime supporters.