Former Mines minister and Zanu PF Harare provincial chairperson Amos Midzi, who died in a suspected suicide at his farm in Marirangwe near Harare, will not be accorded any hero status by the ruling party.

BY XOLISANI NCUBE

Despite serving as an ambassador to the United States from the late 1980s to the early ’90s and as a Cabinet minister, the Zanu PF Harare province has refused to discuss any honour for him “because he had been suspended”.

Acting Zanu PF chair Robert Kahanana said the provincial executive was not meeting to discuss any honour for Midzi since he had been reduced to an ordinary member due to allegations that he was part of a group working with former Vice-President Joice Mujuru to allegedly topple President Robert Mugabe.

“We are encouraging people to go there and console the family because he was a member of the party. But for us to sit down and discuss on anything like a hero status, we are not doing that because he was just an ordinary member of the party,” Kahanana said.

“He had been suspended for various allegations and as such, we are treating him as an ordinary member of Zanu PF.”

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Midzi was last year unceremoniously removed from the post of Harare chair along with nine other provincial leaders who were accused of working with Mujuru to topple Mugabe.

After his removal, he was slapped with a five-year suspension from the ruling party — effectively meaning he could not stand as an MP in 2018 or challenge for any post in the party until the five years had lapsed.

Before his suspension last year, Midzi had held various posts in Zanu PF and government> He was MP in Epworth and a Parliamentary chairperson for the Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs.

He was Mines and Mining Development minister (2005 to 2009), Energy minister (2002 to 2005) and before that Mugabe had handpicked him to lead the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority as its chief executive soon after his return from his Washington posting.

In 1989, Midzi served in the Cabinet as a minister.

He was appointed Ambassador to the United States in 1993, at a time he sat in the Zanu PF politburo.

He once ran as Zanu-PF candidate for Mayor of Harare in 2002, but was defeated by Elias Mudzuri of the MDC.

He has also served as Zanu PF chairperson for Harare for many years until his unceremonious departure this year.

In March 2008, Midzi represented Zanu PF in Epworth, but was defeated by MDC-T’s Elias Jembere. He finally won the same constituency in 2013.

Midzi (62) is survived by wife Alice and three children. Mourners are gathered at number 857 Nursery Road, Mount Pleasant in Harare.