Zimbabwe's information minister Jokonya dies

Zimbabwe's information minister Jokonya dies

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By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE'S Information Minister Tichaona Jokonya died in the early hours of Saturday morning, government sources have confirmed to New Zimbabwe.com.

He was 68.

New Zimbabwe.com sources said Jokonya's body was recovered from a bath tub at the Rainbow Towers Hotel, formerly Sheraton Hotel, in Harare.

He had booked a 16th floor room and when he failed to answer the door to his bodyguard, hotel staff forced open the door.

It is not known if there was any other person in the room with Jokonya who has a house in Harare and lived with his wife, Winnie Friede and children.

Jokonya, a former diplomat and Zimbabwean ambassador to the United Nations had an extended sick leave earlier this year.

Nathan Shamuyarira, a spokesman for Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu PF party confirmed Jokonya's death.

He told New Zimbabwe.com: "I can indeed confirm the minister's death. He died in his sleep in a local hotel. We are preparing a statement which will be released to the media soon."

Jokonya was scheduled to meet managers and editors from Zimbabwe's state newspapers at his farm in Beatrice on Saturday morning, but the meeting was called off suddenly.

A top government source said: "We have positive confirmation that he died at a Harare hotel. The circumstances are unclear at this stage but he had a host of medical problems, and his colleagues knew he was unwell."

The government was yet to issue a public statement by noon on Saturday.

Only last week, Jokonya launched an astonishing attack on the government's media critics, describing them as "traitors".

"You know what the end of a traitor is?" Jokonya asked during a press conference.

"The end of a traitor is always death. The unfortunate thing about a traitor is that you are killed by both your own people and the person whom you are serving," he said.

The comments appeared to be the latest threat against reporters working for Western media organisations. The Zimbabwean government has long had strained relations with the West, who they say are determined to remove Mugabe from power.

Dozens of independent reporters have been arrested and several foreign journalists deported under stringent media laws introduced shortly after President Robert Mugabe's re-election in 2002.

Jokonya was born on December 27, 1938. He began his diplomatic duties as ambassador to Ethiopia between 1983 and 1988.

In 1992, he was posted to the United Nations as Zimbabwe's permanent representative.

He was recalled in 2003 and given the post of chief executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority before he was appointed Information Minister in April 2005 following Jonathan Moyo's departure.
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