Inquest rules no foul play in death of Zimbabwe Vice President’s husband

An inquest in Zimbabwe has ruled there was no foul play in the death of a top power broker in President Robert Mugabe’s party, state media reported today.

It comes after claims in Zimbabwe that Gen. Solomon Mujuru was murdered.

The 66-year-old former army commander, husband of the nation’s vice president, was burned beyond recognition in a fire at his farmhouse south of Harare last year.

The Herald newspaper, controlled by Mugabe loyalists, reported Thursday that Attorney General Johannes Tomana had given the daily the findings of a month-long inquest that ended in February. The paper quotes Tomana as saying the findings are “well-reasoned and sound.” Tomana was quoted as saying he had instructed police now to treat their investigations as “a closed and completed matter.”

“I agree with the conclusion of the inquest that no foul play suspicion is sustained,” Tomana said.

Mujuru’s family had insisted on the inquest amid speculation the general was murdered by political rivals.

The Herald quoted the inquest ruling as saying that despite “suppositions, speculations and conjectures” there was no concrete evidence of murder and no evidence that Mujuru suffered injuries other than those caused by fire.

But senior South African pathologists said samples of the remains and ashes from the house tested in South Africa were not properly handled and could have been compromised. Intense heat virtually cremated Mujuru but the samples showed no sign that substances were used to ignite the fire or create the intense heat, the pathologists said.

Witnesses described strangely colored flames rising from the general’s remains. A maid at the farm and a private security guard said they heard gun shots two hours before flames were seen.

The response by fire fighters was described as ineffective. Fire department officials told the court the water tanks of all its trucks leaked. Emergency services have suffered severe shortages of equipment and spare parts in the nation’s decade-long economic crisis.

Police in a VIP protection unit guarding the farm said their radio was broken, they had no airtime in their cell phones and the nearby police station had no vehicle to reach the scene.

The inquest hearings were closely followed in Zimbabwe. Vice President Joice Mujuru attended several sessions, listening to testimony from pathologists, police officers and other witnesses.