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Tendai Mugabe Harare Bureau
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday said the government was not convinced by the explanation given by South African authorities regarding the death of Zanele, daughter of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo who was found dead in her apartment in Cape Town last Saturday.

The President said this while visiting Professor Moyo’s residence in Harare to pay his condolences.

This was after Professor Moyo gave a detailed account of the circumstances surrounding Zanele’s death.

In his explanation, Prof Moyo exposed some glaring inconsistencies in the whole matter.

One of the shocking revelations that Prof Moyo brought to the attention of President Mugabe was that the South African doctors who conducted the post mortem said toxicology results would only be out after five years.

Again, after the post mortem, police said they had ruled out any foul play.

This is despite the fact that the family had not raised any suspicion on the death.

After being quizzed as to why they were pinning the matter on foul play, Prof Moyo said the authorities backtracked saying they had used a wrong term instead they wanted to say there was no external wound on her body.

Prof Moyo said although earlier it was indicated that there were plenty of bottles of alcohol in Zanele’s apartment, they discovered a small amount of marijuana when they went to the apartment.

“When we were in the apartment, we were told that Zanele was last seen on Wednesday the 14th in the company of a Zambian guy called Stephen who is about 26 or 28 years old whom Zanele had only known for three weeks after being introduced to him by her friend Rumbi,” he said.

Stephen had become a key person of interest after he used Zanele’s phone last Wednesday evening to call her friend Nicole Bento to tell her that Zanele was “passing out”.

Prof Moyo said when Stephen was contacted, he said he had travelled to Zambia to attend his father’s funeral.

Stephen was, however, spotted at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday by Zanele’s friend and sister who were travelling to Zimbabwe.

After receiving that information, Prof Moyo said, he alerted the investigating officer who questioned where he was getting the information.

Responding to Prof Moyo’s account, President Mugabe questioned the five-year period for the toxicology results.

He also queried why the South African police seemed to be reluctant to investigate the matter.

President Mugabe said the government would pursue the matter until a satisfactory explanation was given.

“We heard that there was a Zambian who had the knowledge that she was dying and he alerted others,” he said.

“That’s where we ask whether this was reported to the police or not. If it was reported, what kind of police are they who don’t institute investigations on such a matter in a satisfactory manner?

“So what this one said was he was going to Zambia to attend his father’s funeral, when he had someone dead with him and wanted to leave her there and go to bury his father. We know that everyone has to respect their father but you can’t just leave the body and go to attend your father’s burial. Anyone with common sense will say Ok, I’ve heard of my father’s death but I must deal with the death of the person I’m with. When I’ve handed over the body to her parents then I can go to my father’s funeral.

“Then the same person is spotted again at the airport. You question whether he had gone to attend a funeral for real or it was just a way of trying to escape because he might be suspected to be the killer.”

President Mugabe said Stephen should be questioned and give a satisfactory answer.

“They must give us a satisfactory answer. What the doctors are telling us, ah, it seems there is something they’re hiding from us. To say they will give us postmortem results after five years, has anyone heard of a postmortem result that takes that long? Why? So as Government we’ll continue telling them that we’re not satisfied. It’s true that there may have been a party, but was there no fight? Was there no fight where someone was bashed and thrown to the floor?

President Mugabe urged the Moyo family to take comfort in the fact that the nation was walking with them during this difficult moment.

He said Zanele’s mysterious death would continue to disturb the family but they should know that was the nature of life. Several Cabinet ministers, senior Government officials and services chiefs yesterday also visited the Moyo family to pay their condolences. Zanele will be buried tomorrow at Glen Forest Memorial Park in Harare.

Meanwhile, Zanu-PF politburo member Cde Joshua Malinga has sent a condolence message to the Moyo family, telling of his “great sadness” over Zanele’s death.

He said: “My family and I learnt with great sadness of Zanele’s death, coming as it did in the prime of her life, with a lot to live for. “We pray that God will provide the Moyo family comfort and healing in the tough days ahead.”