Bulawayo - The Minister Without Portfolio Eliot Manyika and Zanu PF National Political Commissar died on Saturday in a road accident on his way to Bulawayo to monitor Zanu PF provincial elections to restructure the party ahead of the party's annual congress which opens Wednesday in Bindura.Early reports on Saturday said the minister, who was also Bindura
Member of Parliament, had earlier been admitted to the private Mater
Dei Hospital in Bulawayo where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The party’s Bulawayo Province was rocked with problems. Last month the
party chairperson in the city, Macleod Tshawe, said he would not seek
re-election when the polls take place at Zanu PF’s provincial
headquarters. Tshawe’s pullout came at a time when six members of his
executive left Zanu PF to join the revived PF Zapu.
Manyika (53) died after he was involved in a road accident on the
145-kilometre peg along the Zvishavane-Mbalabala Road yesterday
morning. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Mater Dei Hospital in
Bulawayo.
Police spokesman Superintendent Andrew Phiri confirmed the minister's death last night.
"I can confirm that this is what has happened," he said.
According to Phiri, Mr Manyika was travelling from Mutare to Gwanda in
Matabeleland South where he intended to preside over the election of
Zanu-PF leaders in that province.
The official Mercedes-Benz in which he was travelling burst a tyre,
resulting in the driver losing control. The vehicle then rolled once
and veered off the road before uprooting several small trees.
Both the minister and driver were trapped. A doctor, who was driving
by, later ferried them to hospital where he was pronounced dead on
arrival. The driver is, however, said to be recovering.
Manyika was born on July 30 1955 at Rosa Clinic in Chiweshe, Mashonaland Central.
He served as Zimbabwe's High Commissioner to Malawi before returning
home in 2000 to become Mashonaland Central Governor and Resident
Minister.
In this role, Manyika presided over the violent land invasions in the province.
He was to become Bindura Member of Parliament in the following year
after the death of Border Gezi. He also filled in the ministerial post
of Youth Development, Gender and Employment Creation. In this capacity,
he oversaw the implementation of the national youth service, which
oversees the Green Bombers – violent youths who have been responsible
for the murders, rapes and general breakdown in law and order in the
country in the name of Muagbe’s Zanu (PF).
He became Zanu-PF national political commissar in 2001, a position he held until the time of his death.
Among his duties as political commissar were organising party structures and mobilising support ahead of national elections.
Zimbabwe Mail/Own correspondent
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