Correspondent

Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) director of public relations, Colonel Overson Mugwisi, who allegedly succumbed to Covid-19 on Friday and was buried at Glen Forest Memorial Park in Harare on Saturday.

He was declared a liberation war hero.

His family has since disputed that he died of Covid-19 claiming that he was instead poisoned together with Perence Shiri by people within the army.

Addressing mourners in the low key burial, Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan province Oliver Chidawu said he was a hardworker and remained loyal to the liberation war before and after independence.

“The ZDF shall forever cherish the late Colonel Mugwisi’s selfless service to the people of Zimbabwe before and after Independence.”

Col Mugwisi was first appointed the official spokesperson of the Zimbabwe National Army in 2009, when he was Lieutenant Colonel, taking over from Lieutenant Colonel Simon Tsatsi.

He then rose to become ZDF spokesperson. Born in 1956 in Masvingo, Col Mugwisi attended Torwood Primary School, Drake and Amaveni secondary schools in Kwekwe, Midlands province.

He then crossed into Mozambique to join the liberation struggle in September 1976.

In his military career dating back to Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, Col Mugwisi held various senior posts, among them Adjutant Zimbabwe Military Academy (ZMA), Officer Commanding Cadet Division ZMA, and Staff Officer responsible for Administration Plans at Army Headquarters.

He was also Staff Officer responsible for research at the Zimbabwe Staff College and Directing Staff Joint Command and Staff Courses at the Zimbabwe Staff College before he went into public relations.

Over the years, Col Mugwisi attended most career courses offered by the army during the Junior Staff Course, the Company Group Commanders Course and the Command and Staff Course.

He is survived by four children.