VICE-President John Nkomo (78) died at Harare’s St Anne’s Hospital yesterday afternoon aggravating the bruising battle for the vice-presidency among Zanu PF heavyweights from Matabeleland who started jostling for the post as his health deteriorated.
Report by Owen Gagare
Nkomo becomes the fourth vice-president to die in office after Joshua Nkomo, Simon Muzenda and Joseph Msika.
He had been ill for some time and was reportedly suffering from prostate cancer.
Sources told the Zimbabwe Independent Nkomo was rushed to St Anne’s at around 8pm on Wednesday after his condition deteriorated.
Nkomo arrived at the hospital in an ambulance accompanied by a nurse, nurse-aid and security details and was immediately whisked on a stretcher into the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on the first floor of the building.
The sources said Nkomo could not talk and was struggling to breathe.
He was promptly put on oxygen to aid his breathing but his condition continued to decline culminating in his death at around midday yesterday.
State security agents had visited the hospital an hour before Nkomo arrived and ordered staff to clear the ICU saying a high profile person was coming for treatment.
“Patients were moved from the ICU to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) opposite the ICU,” said a hospital official. “The CCU has the same facilities as the ICU so patients’ health was not compromised.”
The ICU was sealed off after Nkomo’s death as security agents took control of the ward. State security agents were milling around outside the hospital throughout the day yesterday.
Several ministers and security chiefs rushed to the hospital after receiving news of Nkomo’s death. Among the first to arrive after receiving the news were Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, State Security minister Sydney Sekeramayi, and Transport and Communication minister Nicholas Goche.
The commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga, and Zimbabwe National Army commander, Lieutenant-General Phillip Valerio Sibanda, were also at the hospital.
Although St Anne’s gives between 30 minutes and one hour to remove a body because the hospital has no mortuary, Nkomo’s body remained on his death-bed until President Robert Mugabe arrived at about 3.45pm, almost three hours after his death.
Mugabe had earlier held a meeting with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, MDC leader Welshman Ncube and the cabinet committee on the constitution to resolve the impasse in the constitution-making exercise.
Mugabe spent about 15 minutes at the hospital before Nkomo’s body was removed by Doves Funeral parlour shortly after he left.
Mugabe had earlier announced Nkomo’s death at a press conference called by Global Political Agreement principals to announce a breakthrough in the constitution-making exercise.
“We have lost Vice-President Nkomo,” said Mugabe. “He was suffering from cancer and we heard his situation had become worse from yesterday (Wednesday) when he was taken to St Anne’s Hospital; that’s where he passed away this morning (Thursday).”
“I want to express on behalf of government, cabinet and Zanu PF our sincerest condolences to his family, to his dear old mother, relatives and all his friends. We have lost a real revolutionary, a fighter for freedom, a friend of the people and a lover of children. He will be clearly missed by all of us.”
The United States embassy’s public affairs section sent a condolence message to the Nkomo family saying he had played an important role in the country.
“Whether as a teacher, a politician, an advocate for Zimbabwe’s Independence, or as a public servant, Vice-President Nkomo was a patriot who dedicated his life to Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and prosperity,” the embassy said in a statement. “As a leader of PF Zapu and Zanu PF, Nkomo played an important role in shaping the course of Zimbabwean history.”
Nkomo’s death is likely to destabilise Zanu PF ahead of crucial elections this year, given jostling for his position started long before he died.
Zanu PF national chairman Simon Khaya Moyo is favourite to land the vice- presidency because of his current position in the presidium, but he may still be contested by Mines minister Obert Mpofu whose influence in Matabeleland has grown rapidly triggering a standoff with some party heavyweights.
Mpofu calls himself “Mugabe’s ever obedient son” but has never been a favourite of most Zanu PF heavyweights from Matabeleland largely because he floor-crossed to Zanu PF prior to the signing of the Unity Accord in December 1987, and is thus viewed as a sellout.
His biggest weapon, however, appears to be the grassroots support he enjoys in the region, especially in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North.
Together with Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu, who was the Zapu chairman when the Unity Accord was signed in 1987, Mpofu expressed an interest to succeed the late Joseph Msika as vice-president in 2009, but Nkomo landed the position by virtue of his seniority.
But the battle may include people from other regions given that some regions have over the last few years questioned why the VP position is reserved for someone from Matabeleland. The Manyikas and the Karangas have been demanding a balance in the presidium arguing they have been left out for a long time.
What they said about Nkomo’s death
Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa described Nkomo as a unifier and sober politician.
“He has been ill for some time and although we complain when someone goes but there are instances where he has been going through a lot of pain and you feel that death comes in as a relief,” he said.
Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa said Zimbabwe had lost a dedicated leader.
“The party has lost a powerful leader who played an important role during and after the liberation struggle,” he said.
The MDC-T said Nkomo was a reconciliatory man who did not engage in politics of vengeance “like some of his colleagues in the party.”
“We are saddened by the death of VP Nkomo, he was a reconciliatory man and not a man of violence,” said MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora.
“His politics was different from that of his colleagues which is that of blood. He was a reconciliatory man and befittingly he was leading the leading the organ on national healing.”
Water Resources minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo (MDC-T), a cousin to Nkomo said the death was “devastating to the family”.
Bennett made comment:
Every time a prominent figure in Zanu-PF dies it becomes the occasion for all sorts of nonsense and stupidity. We recall the ridiculous things that were said when Zvinavashe died. We are now seeing the same with John Nkomo’s death.
The US Embassy is reported as saying: “Whether as a teacher, a politician, an advocate for Zimbabwe’s independence, or as a public servant, Vice-President Nkomo was a patriot who dedicated his life to Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and prosperity”.
Excuse me. We may not like to speak ill of the dead, but let’s not tell lies. Assuming they are being reported accurately, I’m not sure what the American agenda is, but this is total rubbish. How can anyone with any sense say that John Nkomo dedicated his life to Zimbabwe’s prosperity?
Since the 1980s, he has sat at the heart of the beast that has destroyed Zimbabwe’s economy. He has held the hand of the dictator that has obliterated our hopes and freedoms. He must now be remembered by the choices he made. He chose to oppose the people, rather than serve them. He walked around in tailor-made suits while Zimbabweans walked in rags. He received private medical treatment in South Africa, while Zimbabweans in South Africa were dying in the townships. And he has many questions to answer even prior to his joining Zanu-PF.
Why was it that he was one of the last Zapu people to be dismissed from government in the 1980s, long after Joshua Nkomo and others had been sacked?
Why was he, of all people, chosen to accompany Mugabe to an international conference in early 1983 while his fellow party members were being slaughtered in the Gukurahundi?
Go and ask our Zapu friends if you think I am making this up.
My advice to the Americans and others who appear to be bending over backward to show their neutrality in 2013 is this: better to shut-up and say nothing than to insult the millions of Zimbabweans who have been murdered and impoverished by Zanu-PF.
Its only those who didn’t know John Nkomo, can be critical of him as a person and as a politician.
John Nkomo was unique in that he was able to work with anyone as long as the objectives were the same.
He was instrumental in co-ordinating ZANU and ZAPU links during the 1970s. As such he was tat the heart of the machinery of both parties. It was easy for him to work as a Minister of State. He had good working relations with Muzenda and by extensition Mugabe.
he was an integrationist…did not seek to build his career based on Tsholotsho or Matebeleland North but ventured into the hinterland of Mashonaland Provinces.
He was the architect of the Unity Accord 1987, which like it or not brought peace, which endures up to now.
Bayete Nkomo!
@george bachinche – You always come up with idiotic statements you brainwashed idiot. Stupid fool.
Shutup and go hell!! He is our heroe and we will remember him as such!!! RIP Cde!!!
Finally, lets hope he repented before he went. Bob you’re next! Hurry up so I can get my freedom!
@admire musingarabwi BTW People who support Dictators are not heroes. He will be remembered as one of Bob’s cronies who destroyed our country!
The special treatment where everyone else is moved out just for one high ranking official, that is questionable; is there another way out? There must be.
true john nkomo dd nothin 2 improve e’ lifes of zimbabweans, al he did ws bask in e’ comfort of mugabe’s regime, of which he benefitted. he neva denounced political violence, zanu corruption & matabeleland bn marginalizd. worse comin frm tis side, byo, he neva tryd 2 resusitate byo’s failing industry…
He was better than the rest,his complicity yes paints him bad,his silence on Murambatsvina,2008 violence where others lost lives and so on yes makes him not fit for a hero,those who speak the truth without fear are heroes,men of honour are now very few….
Zanu pf should do away with the issue of two vice presidents,thats why issue of succession is a problem many bulls in a kraals create havoc.it’s very costly for our poor country
may his soul rest in peace,and would like to send my condolences to the family.those Zapu members who are sick or on their death bed are in for a chance to be appointed VP ,the commander in chief of the armed forces,the destroyer of Zim economy,chancellor of all universities in zim and head of state &gvt has a history of appointing sick people to the presidium so that counts Mpofu out .
U fucken Zanu Pf and Mugabe pple you must shut up and stop telling us lies u have spent fucken 33years in power doing nothing lets all these die and go to hell
spoken from the heart truthfully
I have been told by a reliable source that Jonathan Moyo will be appointed Vice-President shortly. Entirely unexpected but very very true.
How many times does this man die? This must be the 12th time he has died and come back from the dead. I hope this time it’s for good. He was terminally ill but he wouldn’t resign although he had retired on the job not from the job. A Zapu mercenary who betrayed his tribe for financial gain and power. Goodbye don’t come back again.
I am happy this buffoon is finally dead. These people are our oppressors we only wish they were all dead. His death has made my day. A cause for celebration. I hope he rots in Hell.
One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised. spoken from the heart ..
Its superb as your other posts : D, regards for posting . “Even Albert Einstein reportedly needed help on his 1040 form.” by Ronald Reagan.
cheap louis vuitton belts http://www.cheaplouisvuittonbeltny.com/
Hey very cool blog!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionally…I’m satisfied to find a lot of helpful info right here within the publish, we need work out extra strategies on this regard, thank you for sharing.
louis vuitton belt http://www.louisvuittonbeltsny.com/
free-casino-bonus.com – 100 and more of Free Casino Bonus offers / No Deposit Casino Bonus / Extra $€£ 20000 Free Bonus / USA Casino players – easy to claim your Free Casino bonus
free casino http://www.free-casino-bonus.com
If A saves a girl from being raped by B but then A goes on to rape the girl. Do you think A should be judged on from what he did to save the girl, exclusively from what he did after saving the girl or what he did both to save the girl and after? Suppose I say to you he saved the girl from rape only to rape and murder her.
From what people like Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies have done since independence there can be no doubt they fought the war of independence not as liberators by rather as mercenaries. After independence, it was payback time as far as they were concerned. They even denied the people the freedom, liberty, human dignity and life itself; they very things they were supposedly fighting to secure for the people.
The whites denied the blacks the vote period. Zanu PF could not deny them that right but has beaten and raped millions of blacks and murdered over 30 000 others to deny them a meaningful vote. Not only did John Nkomo like everyone else in Zanu PF know about the brutal repression he benefited from it.
If we cannot hold someone who was Vice President in the regime accountable for what the regime has been doing then who the hell are we going to hold accountable? His gardener? The victims of the oppression? Who?
Some Zimbabweans have elevated those who fought in the war of independence way above all other mortals; it is no surprise these people have struggled to accept these Demigods can do any wrong even with the mountain of evidence of the corruption and brutality they committed. Tyrants like Mugabe took full advantage of this weakness to commit even more outrageous human rights violations.
Bury one’s head in the sand has no doubt help these murderers sleep easy at night still it has been a great disserve to the nation. We must stop living a lie whilst millions continue to suffer and hundreds die under this brutal dictatorship!
After independence people like Mugabe, Nkomo and the rest of the Zanu PF thugs chose out of their own free will to extort the mercenary’s ransom price in the form of absolute political power and unfettered access to the nation’s resources and wealth. They are therefore then mercenaries and it is nonsensical to treat them as national heroes as well! When you are a mercenary you cannot and will never be a hero too, especially when you are still hanging on to your mercenary extortionist loot!
If only most of you people always saw things this way and never got carried away with Mugabe’s anti-Joshua Nkomo Zapu rhetoric in the 1980s, Zimbabwe would have never turned out to be waht it is today – a PF ZAPU with significant following across the length and breadth of our country would have certainly kept a dictatorial ZANU PF in check!!!
Hi, just wanted to say i liked this article. it was practical. keep on posting.
I admire the valuable facts you provide inside your content. I will bookmark your weblog and then also have my youngsters check up right here frequently. I am fairly positive theyll learn numerous new stuff here than anybody else!
Thank you for the good writeup. It in truth was once a enjoyment account it. Glance advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how can we keep up a correspondence?
Great issues altogether, you simply gained a logo new|a new} reader. What might you recommend in regards to your post that you just made some days in the past? Any positive?
This is a excellent web site, will you be involved in doing an interview regarding just how you developed it? If so e-mail me!