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MDC-T announced in a statement yesterday that Dr Mudzingwa died at Avenues Clinic in Harare on Tuesday night after a short illness.
“Senator Tichaona Mudzingwa, the Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development and former MDC’s secretary for defence and home affairs, has died,” the party said.

“A medical doctor and Zimbabwe’s first specialist war surgeon, Dr Mudzingwa died at the Avenues Clinic last night after a short illness.”
Dr Mudzingwa, a close ally of MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, was born on 23 December, 1942 in Buhera.
A founding member of the MDC in 1999, Dr Mudzingwa held a number of positions in the party.

He was the MDC-T secretary for defence and home affairs in 2011. From 2000 to 2006, Dr Mudzingwa was the MDC secretary for health and security.
In 2009, Dr Mudzingwa was nominated by Mr Tsvangirai to be a non-constituency senator.
He was later appointed deputy minister for Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development the same year.

Mr Tsvangirai yesterday said he learnt of Dr Mudzingwa’s death with shock.
“Zimbabwe has lost a pillar of strength, a cadre dedicated to the struggle for independence and for the freedom of the people…the late Dr Mudzingwa was a founder member of the MDC,” he said.
“The story of the MDC cannot be told without mentioning Dr Mudzingwa.”

According to the MDC-T, Dr Mudzingwa started his political career in January 1960 when he joined the National Democratic Party’s Youth Wing while at school in Gweru.

The party said Dr Mudzingwa was a former member of Zanu-PF and ZAPU who underwent military training in Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia. “Senator Mudzingwa is a war veteran and during the liberation war was a member of the Military High Command from 1975 to 1980,” the MDC-T said.
“He is the first medical doctor to receive full military training and to be deployed to the military front in Zambia and Mozambique from 1975 to 1980 when Zimbabwe attained its independence.

“He is a Zimbabwe National Army Retired Colonel who served in the military from 1980 to 1994.”
Dr Mudzingwa was also a commander of the Zimbabwe Medical Corps and was awarded several medals for his service in the army.

In 2005, he was the MDC candidate for Buhera North constituency in the parliamentary election and lost to Cde William Mutomba of Zanu-PF.
Dr Mudzingwa was a widower and is survived by his son.
Mourners are gathered at 380 Shelbourne, Waterfalls in Harare.