Biti: Zanu PF killed Chitepo, insincere on widow – NewZimbabwe 12/04/2016
ZANU PF’s declaration of the late Victoria Chitepo a national heroine should not be seen as a sincere gesture as the party was responsible for the assassination of her husband, Herbert, says Tendai Biti.
Victoria was found dead in her house last Friday morning, apparently dying as she was preparing to attend the ruling party’s central committee meeting.
Zanu PF officials, including President Robert Mugabe, immediately issued condolence messages, lauding the widow of former Zanu PF chairman who was killed in a car bomb in 1975.
Victoria, who served as cabinet minister in independent Zimbabwe, will be buried on Wednesday at the National Heroes Acre.
But Biti said all that amounted to shedding crocodile tears.
The People’s Democratic Party President said Zanu PF leaders should not be seen shaken over the death of Victoria as they were responsible for the killing of her husband in Zambia during the liberation war.
“Zanu PF was responsible for the death of the late great Herbert Chitepo. That is why after independence they failed to hold a new inquest into his death as they were responsible for his death,” said Biti in an interview.
He added, “Zanu PF has been responsible for the death of many prominent heroes up to Rex Nhongo (Solomon Mujuru). They are not being sincere in mourning Victoria Chitepo as they should have carried out a post-independence inquest into the death of her husband but they did not as they were involved in the murder.”
Herbert died on died on 18 March 1975 in Lusaka when a car bomb, placed in his Volkswagen Beetle a night before, exploded. He and Silas Shamiso, one of his bodyguards, were killed instantly.
At the time of his death, Herbert was the Zanu chairman. Then Zambian president, Kenneth Kaunda, locked up many Zanu leaders including the late Josiah Tongogara. Kaunda commissioned an inquiry into Chitepo’s death and documents released in October 2001, placed the blame on Zanu PF infighting at the time.
In 2001, Victoria was quoted demanding that the killers of her husband, a prominent African lawyer, be brought to justice.
Kaunda is reported to be still concerned that the truth has not been told about the death of Herbert. While visiting the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo’s grave in 1999, he told a reporter that Chitepo was a committed leader.
“And some day we will talk about how he died. It is one blot in the history, a sad reflection of the whole liberation of this region,” said Kaunda.
Recently, former Vice President, Joice Mujuru, said she thought her late husband, Solomon, was murdered. Officially, Solomon was killed in an inferno at his farm in 2011.
Solomon was independent Zimbabwe’s first army commander and one of Mugabe’s closest allies. Last week, Mugabe blamed him for masterminding his 2008 electoral defeat by MDC-T’s Morgan Tsvangirai.
COMMENTS
Tendai Biti you are displaying ignorance. The late Herbert Chitepo was assassinated by a well known Rhodesian CIO agent. That part of the story and machinations that culminated in a bomb planted on the VW Beatle that killed Cde Chitepo is very well documented.
Find and read a book titled ‘See You in November’. There are details that no doubt will be left in you that it was a Rhodesian assignment. It was meant to sow distrust among our nationalists. It did. And that is why up to now many people, including you, are parroting the Rhodesian plot.
Wake up Tendai. You are a big disappointment. You are leading a political party that, given a chance, can become a governing party of our nation. With such half baked views? Where would we end up?
You are asking the nation to believe in a coalition government again? No. What do you want to achieve with another GNU? OR is it because you are missing the benefits you tasted from 2009 to 2013 inclusive?
You had your chance and you messed it up.
Sit down. Assess the caliber of people who assist you. Do you have a Research Department that verifies information and facts? Or you simply wake up and start parroting your yesternight dreams as if they were facts?
The General Cde Josiah Tongogara died a bitter man for having been wrongfully arrested and tortured for the death of Cde Chitepo. Even on 26 December 1979, the day he died, he told Cde Samora Machel, with tears in his eyes, that he was innocent of Cde Chitepo’s assassination.
Always research and be factual in all things national as a potential leader of our Zimbabwe.
Thank you.
Read Peter Stiff’s ‘See You In November’ you may get some insight on who actually killed Chitepo and stop making allegations you cannot substantiate. May the souls of the dearly departed rest in eternal peace.
Biti’s recent comments have been quite good. However, he is completely wrong to say Chitepo was killed by Zanu PF. Hebert Chitepo was killed by the Rhodesian intelligence, and there are confessions to prove this. Biti should spare us this idiocy.