Elliot Pfebve, a Zimbabwean democracy campaigner, former opposition politician and academic based in the United Kingdom, has died at the age of 57 after a prolonged battle with bowel cancer.
Pfebve passed away in Walsall in England’s West Midlands region, prompting tributes from journalists, former colleagues, political activists and members of Zimbabwe’s diaspora community who remembered him as a courageous figure who endured enormous personal sacrifice during Zimbabwe’s violent political conflicts of the early 2000s.
Journalist Chofamba Sithole described Pfebve as a committed educator, activist and advocate for minority communities.
Sithole said Pfebve had battled bowel and liver cancer since 2023 and had established a cancer awareness foundation aimed at supporting black and ethnic minority communities in the West Midlands with information and support around the disease.
The two previously worked together at Coventry University, where Pfebve lectured while Sithole worked in the institution’s press office.
According to Sithole, Pfebve was also active within the local Labour Party structures in the West Midlands and had campaigned on issues of diversity and inclusion, including standing for a local council position.
However, Pfebve remained most closely associated with Zimbabwe’s turbulent political struggles during the height of tensions between Movement for Democratic Change and ZANU PF in the early 2000s.
He gained national prominence during the 2001 Bindura by-election following the death of then ZANU PF political commissar Border Gezi in a car accident.
Pfebve contested the election as an MDC candidate against ZANU PF’s Elliot Manyika in what became known in local media as “The battle of the two Elliots.”
The by-election campaign became notorious for extreme political violence and intimidation.
During the campaign, Pfebve’s elder brother, Matthew Pfebve, was abducted and murdered after ZANU PF supporters reportedly raided the family home searching for Elliot Pfebve.
According to human rights accounts and later statements by Pfebve, the attackers allegedly refused to believe Matthew was not the opposition candidate before fatally assaulting him.
The violence also claimed the life of Pfebve’s campaign manager, Trymore Midzi, who was abducted and killed during the election period.
In another major incident during the campaign, a convoy carrying Pfebve and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was attacked by a large group of ZANU PF youths in July 2001.
Vehicles were reportedly stoned and burned, although the opposition leaders escaped unharmed.
The violence left Pfebve’s family devastated, with homes and businesses allegedly destroyed during the campaign.
Following the traumatic events, Pfebve later relocated to the United Kingdom, where he rebuilt his life in academia and community activism.
Journalist Tichaona Sibanda also paid tribute, describing Pfebve as a man of immense courage and strength whose life had touched many people.
“His strength and courage were truly inspiring,” Sibanda wrote.
Tributes have continued pouring in from Zimbabweans both at home and abroad, many remembering Pfebve as one of the opposition figures who stood up against political repression during one of Zimbabwe’s most volatile political periods.
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