GENERAL Solomon Mujuru who died aged 62 in a house fire at his farm on Monday night has survived a blaze before, New Zimbabwe.com can reveal.
General Mujuru’s charred remains were found in the doorway of his 18-room farmhouse at Alamein Farm in Beatrice in the early hours of Tuesday.
But we can reveal that the former army commander, who was the husband of Vice President Joice, has had a close shave with a house fire before.
In her book ‘Re-Living the Second Chimurenga: Memories from Zimbabwe’s Liberation Struggle’, former Education Minister Fay Chung recalls the moment a fire broke out at their hotel while attending the Geneva Conference in 1976.
“Fire started in Mujuru’s room on the 4th floor and spread throughout the floor,” Chung wrote.
Mujuru, then known by his nom de guerre, Rex Nhongo, attended the Geneva Conference in his capacity as the commander of the ZANLA guerrilla fighters.
The Conference had been called to negotiate a peaceful settlement between the Rhodesian regime and the liberation movements who had united that year under the banner of the Patriotic Front. The talks failed because Rhodesians were not yet willing to accept the Zimbabweans' terms for the negotiation of peace which called for independence by December 1, 1977.