I never divorced General Mujuru: VP

Vice President Joice Mujuru has quashed long circulated reports about her marriage and said she never divorced her late husband Retired General Solomon Mujuru whom she described as a loving but naughty husband. 

Mujuru was speaking at the 20th marriage anniversary ceremony for Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs Advocate Martin Dinha and his wife Mercy which was held at the Eskbank Farm just outside Harare.

This is the first time VP Mujuru has publicly spoken about her marriage to Gen Mujuru who died in a suspicious fire accident at Ruzambo Farm in Beatrice in 2011, sparking speculation he was a victim of Zanu PF factional fighting.

“Hapana munhu aimbofungira ini naSolomon tigere tese — makuhwa mangani amakanzwa muHarare, haa, Mai Mujuru vakarambwa, yowe Solomon akaroora.

“Imi munofunga kuti ndanga ndisingazive kuti kune misikinzwa? Ndaizvinzwa, asi aiti kana ava paghedhi raAmai Mujuru ainyatsouya semunhu ari clean and innocent and I used to like that.

“Ndiyo respect inodiwa nemudzimai. Izvozvo zvinoita muchengetedzane (No one thought Solomon and I were still together – how many rumours did you hear in Harare to the effect that ‘Mai Mujuru is divorced’, ‘Solomon has a new wife’?

“Do you think I did not know of his misdeeds? I heard about it but the moment he arrived at my gate, he came as a clean and innocent man and I used to like that.

That is the respect needed by a woman. That will keep you together),” VP Mujuru said.

“Honai vamwe takafirwa taane 34 years (of marriage) asi ndiani akanga ane musikanzwa saSolomon — anga anayo zvekuti (Look, some of us were widowed after 34 years of marriage but who was as naughty as Solomon? He was very naughty),” VP Mujuru said.

She urged women to be strong and be committed to their marriages and show respect to their husbands saying this was one of the ways to maintain the unions.

General Mujuru’s remains were found at his Ruzambo farmhouse on August 16, 2011 in Beatrice.

Although magistrate Walter Chikwanha who sat as coroner at the inquest ruled that there was no suspicion over the general’s death, the family issued statements through their lawyer expressing their dissatisfaction with the verdict and called for the exhumation of Mujuru’s remains to facilitate a second autopsy by an independent pathologist.

Citing varying testimonies made during the inquest, the family claimed that Mujuru had died under yet to be determined circumstances.

The general’s maid, for example, reported hearing gunshots well before the fire broke out. Also, private security guards about 300 metres from the house also thought that they had heard gun shots, but could not be sure.

The policemen guarding Mujuru’s farm house from about 20 metres away claimed to have either been asleep or to have heard nothing.

Similarly, whereas the security guard manning the entrance to the farmhouse said Mujuru had been accompanied by another man in the front passenger seat, police officers at the farm told the court that Mujuru was alone on the night in question, but added that there had been a jacket hanging in the car.

As a result, the Mujuru family was left with more questions than answers as to what happened that fateful night.