By A Correspondent-Retired Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) spokesperson, Colonel Cladious Makova, has been declared a liberation hero following his death last Sunday in Chiredzi, where he had been receiving medical care.
Makova’s body was taken to 4 Brigade on Friday for a send-off parade, before he was laid to rest on Saturday afternoon at his farm in Mkwasine, Chiredzi.
Best remembered for his tenure as the ZNA’s public relations chief in the 1990s, Colonel Makova played a pivotal role in transforming the army’s image from a force plagued by accusations of indiscipline to one striving to align with national values and professionalism.
At a time when the army’s public standing had reached a low point—marked by widespread reports of harassment, looting, and repeated fatal road accidents involving military vehicles—Makova became the face of a more media-friendly and accountable ZNA.
He was widely regarded as one of the most effective public relations officers the army ever produced. Calm, articulate, and strategic, he brought credibility and visibility to an institution often shrouded in secrecy and fear.
However, his appointment came during a period of deepening internal instability within the military, when a string of mysterious deaths of senior army officers raised alarm.
These deaths—often described as accidents, especially road crashes—sparked widespread speculation of a silent purge within the ranks of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
Though no official confirmation ever tied these deaths to internal factional battles, observers noted a pattern: many of the deceased were decorated war veterans, senior commanders, or officers thought to be aligned with military hardliners resistant to the growing influence of then Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.
These incidents preceded the 2011 death of General Solomon Mujuru, himself a liberation war icon and perceived opponent of Mnangagwa’s ascendancy.
It was in this environment of suspicion and shifting allegiances that Makova emerged as the public face of the army.
While he was never publicly linked to the factional fights, some viewed his elevation as part of a broader strategy to rebrand and consolidate the army’s image in line with emerging power centres.
Despite the murky political currents of the time, Makova’s legacy remains intact.
He is celebrated for stabilising the army’s relationship with the public and the media, and for professionalising the ZNA’s communication strategy during a volatile chapter in Zimbabwe’s post-independence history.
His liberation hero status is a recognition of both his wartime contributions and his peacetime service—particularly in an institution that has often operated at the heart of Zimbabwe’s contested state power.