Mugabe was speaking at the National Heroes Acre on Monday at Mudenge’s burial.
Mudenge, who was Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, died on Thursday last week at a Masvingo hotel after collapsing in his room while he waited to officiate at an event at Great Zimbabwe University.
“Some few months ago we heard that Mudenge was attacked by a bull at his farm and now we hear that he just collapsed in a hotel room in Masvingo and died. Maybe this is where his death came from and the disease thereof attacked him later in his hotel room,” Mugabe said.
“He died in typical style and we are shocked because we lost him when we least expected it,” added Mugabe.
In March Mudenge spent a week in hospital at Harare’s West End Clinic after he was attacked by a bull at his Chikore farm in Masvingo farm and suffered head injuries.
He battled an undisclosed illness from 2010 when he suffered a cardiac arrest and spent weeks in hospital.
He was married two times and also remarried twice. Mudenge’s first wife, Kgogo died in 2001 and the second one, Eunice, followed in 2004.
His prolonged ill-health triggered demands from students’ unions for him to leave office.
Several of Mugabe’s lieutenants have died in office, among them his former deputies, Joshua Nkomo, Simon Muzenda and Joseph Msika. Another Vice President, John Nkomo, has been ill for a long time.
Post published in: News