TOP State security agent, Nixon Chirinda, has died. Chirinda, who was deputy director (special projects and non-traditional threats) in the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), reportedly died on the spot when his Toyota Land Cruiser truck collided with a haulage truck in Chinhoyi along the Harare-Chirundu Highway on Saturday.
By OWN CORRESPONDENT
He was 58.
National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the accident yesterday.
“I can confirm he (Chirinda) has died. He was involved in an accident with a haulage truck on Saturday night in Chinhoyi. It is suspected he was driving from Harare to his farm in Karoi when the accident occurred at around 11:30pm,” Charamba said.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the haulage truck pulled into the highway without giving way to Chirinda’s vehicle, leading to the collision.
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“Personally, I am devastated. He was my uncle and only a couple of weeks ago, he hosted us at his farm when we were coming from the funeral of a colleague,” Charamba said.
She urged motorists to be alert and cautious, saying accidents caused unnecessary loss of lives.
Apart from his profession, Chirinda was a successful farmer in Mashonaland West province.
Chirinda once worked as a provincial intelligence officer in Mashonaland West before he was promoted and moved to Harare.
Sources at the funeral said top CIO officials were already lobbying government to declare him a national hero. Mourners are gathered at his house in Orange Groove, Chinhoyi.