Vice President Joice Mujuru has spoken openly about the suspicious nature of her husband Solomon Mujuru’s death last week Tuesday in a Beatrice farmhouse fire. Despite ZANU PF trying to keep a lid on speculation Joice Mujuru publicly urged police investigating the fire to probe events in the final six hours.
- Vice President Joice Mujuru with her husband retired General Solomon Mujuru (picture by John Cassim)
Mrs Mujuru is convinced her 62 year old husband could have easily escaped the fire. “The problem is we just hear its fire. But what happened from 8.30PM to when the fire was seen? That’s where the story is,” Mujuru said on Tuesday while meeting members of the women’s national team who visited her Chisipite home.
“I was called just after 2AM and told that the house is on fire. The roof had collapsed, but that doesn’t happen instantly. It means the fire had started around that time when he got home one Monday night. That should be the time when people should start, you know, whatever they want to look at because we can’t just start when the roof has collapsed.”
Mrs Mujuru said after getting the call, she raced to the farm and arrived there shortly after 3AM to find the fire still raging. “The farm workers were still trying to put out the fire. The Fire Brigade had been called when I got there. The workers said they called the Fire Brigade an hour plus earlier and they hadn’t been at the farm,” she said.
Mrs Mujuru is also questioning why General Mujuru opted to run for the door of the 14-roomed property when he could have used the bedroom window. “The [bedroom] set up had two western big windows, so if you want to come out you just jump. Our little kids used to jump and we used to laugh about it. It was closer to come out through the window than the door,” she said.
“I suppose if they were to give us something satisfying it would make my heart rest,” Mujuru said. “We are anxiously waiting for the police to finish their investigations. They have invited all the experts they could find to look at what could have happened.”
Meanwhile, Mai Mujuru paid tribute to the people from all political parties who paid their condolences. “To tell you the truth I have no words to tell you how I was supported by the nation especially the First Lady [Grace Mugabe], the President [Robert Mugabe], Mai [Olivia] Muchena, members of the Politburo and everyone not only Zanu PF,” she said.
“I was overwhelmed by the colours that came to mourn my husband. When I switched on my phone I had 129 missed calls. I have not expected it especially those that came to pay last respects at Stodart Hall and the night he came to lie here people came from Matabeleland North and South and were singing in their languages.
“I think I was living with a man I didn’t know. To me he was a husband but his death showed me he was a man of people and was admired by everyone.”
