By Victor Fanuel
HARARE — Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique and Eswatini, Victor Matemadanda, has died at the age of 66, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade announced on Sunday.
The ministry did not disclose the cause of death.
In a statement, the ministry said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade mourns the passing of our Ambassador to the Republic of Mozambique and the Kingdom of Eswatini, Victor Matemadanda, early this morning.
“The ministry extends its heartfelt condolences to His Excellency President Emmerson D. Mnangagwa, the Matemadanda family and the nation of Zimbabwe,” read the statement.
Matemadanda had served as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Mozambique and Eswatini since March 2021.
Before his diplomatic appointment, he was a prominent figure within Zanu PF, serving as the party’s national political commissar and as deputy minister of defence and war veterans affairs.
Born on March 3, 1960, Matemadanda joined the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) in 1973 and later operated in the Mutoko area during the liberation struggle.
He rose to become secretary-general of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), where he played a leading role in the war veterans’ public fallout with former President Robert Mugabe in the years preceding the military-assisted transition that ended Mugabe’s rule in November 2017.
Paying tribute to Matemadanda, Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa described him as a stalwart of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle and recalled his role in organising support for guerrilla fighters based in Mozambique during the war.
Mutsvangwa also highlighted Matemadanda’s role within the war veterans’ movement during the political tensions that marked the final years of Mugabe’s administration.
“We flatly refused to allow the slide into a family dynasty,” Mutsvangwa said, referring to opposition within the war veterans’ leadership to what they viewed as attempts to establish dynastic succession under Mugabe.
He said Matemadanda was imprisoned for openly challenging the former president and remained steadfast in his position during the political developments that culminated in Mugabe’s resignation in 2017.
Following the transition, Matemadanda was elected Member of Parliament for Gokwe Central in the July 2018 elections, having unsuccessfully contested the seat in 2013.
He later left active politics to take up diplomatic service, representing Zimbabwe in Mozambique and Eswatini until his death.
