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Herald Reporter 

ZANU PF Central Committee member, decorated soldier and former freedom fighter, Brigadier General (Rtd) Epmarcus Walter Kanhanga, has died.

He was 73.

Family spokesperson and daughter to the war veteran, Dr Mitchell Munyoro, said Brig Gen Kanhanga died in his sleep early yesterday morning at his rural home in Guruve, Mashonaland Central Province.

Dr Munyoro described her father as a peaceful man.

“He was a very soft-spoken man, kind, and someone whom we were proud of all the time. My father was not selfish, he used to lift others up.”

Born on 6 January 1950, Brig Gen Kanhanga went to school in Guruve before he skipped the country for military training.  

Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Senator Monica Mavhunga said the death of Brig Gen Kanhanga comes as a shock because on Wednesday, he had spent the day with his comrades.

 “I did not get information about his illness and many people interacted with him on Wednesday. We have started the process of requesting for national hero status due to his immense contribution during and after the liberation struggle,” she said.

Minister Mavhunga said Brig Gen Kanhanga joined the liberation struggle in the 1970s and around 1974, he attained a leadership position in Zanla, the military wing of Zanu. 

At Independence in 1980, he was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army where he rose through the ranks to Brigadier General. 

Minister Mavhunga described Brig Gen Kanhanga as a distinguished and dedicated cadre who immensely contributed to the development of his home province of Mashonaland Central where he was a prominent farmer, and the nation at large.

Brig Gen Kanhanga was at one time a member of the Zanu-PF Politburo and at the time of his death, he was a member of the Central Committee. He also served on different boards including Zimpapers and the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe.

He is survived by his wife and four children. 

Mourners are gathered at number 33 Hyton Road, Mandara in Harare, while others are at his farm in Guruve. Burial arrangements will be announced in due course.