By Victor Fanuel
HARARE — Self-exiled war veteran Blessed Runesu Geza, whose incendiary social media broadcasts unsettled Zimbabwe’s political establishment, anticipated his own death in a sombre final letter written in the early hours of Friday, shortly before he succumbed to cancer in South Africa.
Geza, who had been secretly battling the illness while mobilising opposition to President Emmerson Mnangagwa from exile, told Zimbabweans in a social media post that he was in his “final moments”, expressing anguish that he might not live to witness political “change” in the country he once fought to liberate.
“As I speak to you now, I feel my energy sapping; I might not be here tomorrow, next week, or next month,” he wrote, in what has since emerged as a valedictory message to the nation.
His family confirmed his death later that day and urged the public to disregard unauthorised appeals for funeral donations.
In the emotionally charged letter, Geza framed his illness as both a personal reckoning and a political passing of the baton.
“I am in pain that I might not see the new Zimbabwe after Emmerson,” he wrote, adding that he nevertheless took “solace in the hope that you will continue the faith for a free and prosperous nation, the Zimbabwe I fiercely fought for”.
The letter was steeped in premonition and defiance, blending reflections on his liberation war past with sharp denunciations of the post-independence political order.
“Even as I prepare to leave this world, I do so with the conviction that our struggle continues. Do not let fear engulf you; let it fuel your resolve,” he said.
A former liberation fighter known by the nom de guerre Cde Bombshell, Geza returned to national prominence in January 2025 through a series of viral broadcasts accusing Mnangagwa, his family and politically connected business figures of “industrial-scale corruption.”
He alleged that a small elite had “captured the State”, declaring: “They are stealing from you, from your children, and from your future.”
The allegations, which he did not substantiate with documentary evidence, placed him on a collision course with the authorities.
Police moved to charge him with treason, prompting his flight to South Africa.
In his absence, his wife, Roseline Tawengwa, was detained and questioned for several hours, while his rural home in Sanyati was petrol-bombed, incidents his supporters described as acts of intimidation.
From exile, Geza called for nationwide strikes aimed at forcing Mnangagwa from office.
The protests failed to gain sustained momentum after the government deployed security forces and arrested dozens of activists.
In his farewell letter, Geza revisited one of the most controversial episodes of his political life, his role in the November 2017 military-assisted intervention that ended Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule.
“When we recognised that Mugabe had betrayed the covenant forged in our battle for this country, we made the decision to remove him,” he wrote, before expressing regret. “I have since apologised for my role in that removal.”
He went on to argue that Mnangagwa’s presidency had entrenched corruption and exclusion.
“Yet, what followed has been a nightmare. Mnangagwa has fared even worse, completely neglecting the values we fought for,” he said.
Despite the bitterness of his critique, Geza cast his final message as one of hope rather than despair.
“I will be gratified, knowing I fought a noble war and that you will carry it forward,” he wrote. “I am old and have played my part. It is time you play yours.”
Geza leaves behind a polarising legacy, hailed by supporters as a fearless whistleblower and dismissed by critics as a reckless agitator, but his final words now stand as a stark epitaph for a man who publicly declared that his end was near, even as his political struggle remained unfinished.
