Paradzai Zimondi
Paradzai Willings Zimondi (Paradzai Willings Zimonte[1]) (4 March 1947 – 22 January 2021) was a Zimbabwean independence activist and military officer. Zimondi was considered a hero of the Zimbabwean struggle for independence, and he later attained the rank of major general in the Zimbabwean army. After his military retirement, he served for twenty-two years as the Prisons and Corrections Services Commissioner-General for Zimbabwe.
Rtd. Major General Paradzai Zimondi | |
|---|---|
| Commissioner-General for Prisons and Corrections Services | |
| In office 1 April 1998 – 1 November 2020 | |
| President | Robert Mugabe Emmerson Mnangagwa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paradzai Willings Zimondi 4 March 1947 Uzumba District, Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now Zimbabwe) |
| Died | 22 January 2021 (aged 73) Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Political party | ZANU–PF |
| Spouse(s) | Doreen Ruzai Gandari Annie Flora Imagine Chairuka |
| Children | Rufaro Patrick Zimondi Abigaal Upenyu Zimondi |
| Education | Manyika Primary School, Uzumba Umvuma United Primary School, Mvuma Makosa Primary School, Mutoko Nyamuzuwe High School, Mutoko |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Zimbabwe Defence Forces |
| Branch/service | Zimbabwe National Army Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army |
| Years of service | 1974–1997 |
| Rank | Major General |
Career
During the liberation struggle Zimondi took the nom de guerre of Comrade Tonderai Nyika.[2][3] In 1974 he received his initial ZANLA training at Mgagao Training Camp in Tanzania, after which he was sent as a trainer to Chimoio in western Mozambique.[4] He rose to become the provincial commander in Manica Province, where he led the ZANLA forces to major successes in the battles of he Ruda, Gandayi, the attack on Umtali (Mutare), Mavhonde (Mavonde) and Grand Reef. The battles of Mavhonde and Grand Reef were decisive in breaking the spirit of the Rhodesian Army.[5][6]
At the end of the liberation struggle Zimondi was the military governor of the ZANLA occupied areas of Manica Province of Mozambique and adjacent areas in Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe.[3]
In 1981, he was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army as a colonel and was subsequently promoted to major general.[4] Among his military posts was Commander of the Presidential Guard.[7][3]
In 1997, Zimondi joined the Zimbabwe Prison Services as a Deputy Commissioner, where he undertook to propose reforms after studying the British, Danish and Swedish prison systems.[4] The following year, he was appointed first Acting Commissioner, and then Commissioner-General, following the retirement of long-serving Langton Chigwida.[4] Among his accomplishments as director he significantly improved health services for prisoners,[4][7] and expanded the number of prison farms from sixteen to twenty-four.[8] Zimondi retired from the Prison Service effective 1 November 2020.[4][7]
He was placed on sanctions lists by the European Union in 2002 and the United States in 2003. He remained on the lists until his death.[9]
Personal life
Zimondi was born in 1947 to Charles Zimondi and Abigail Karimazondo Zimondi in the Uzumba District of Mashonaland East Province.[10] He attended Nyamuzuwe High School in Mutoko, but left to become a freedom fighter in the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA).
He married Annie Flora Imagine Chairuka,[1] and had two children.[10]
Zimondi died of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe and was buried in the cemetery at the National Heroes Acre.[11][12]
Notes and references
- "List of persons closely associated with Robert Mugabe". Operational Manual. New Zealand Immigration. 8 April 2009. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018.
- Murugare, Zorora; Ngokuthula, Lala (11 April 2017). "Murozvi: Rare breed of cadre". The Herald. Harare, Zimbabwe. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017., note:archive date is UTC.
- Mutambara, Agrippah (2014). The Rebel In Me: A ZANLA Guerrilla Commander in the Rhodesian Bush War, 1974_1980. Pinetown, South Africa: 30° South Publishers. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-909982-35-2.
- Moyo, Africa (23 January 2021). "Maj-Gen Zimondi succumbs to Covid-19". The Herald. Harare, Zimbabwe. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021.
- "Heroes Special: Zimondi relives Chimurenga II 'In the heat of the battle'". The Sunday Mail. 10 August 2014. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017.
- "Paradzai Zimondi". Pindula. 27 January 2021. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021.
- "Prisons boss Zimondi retires". The Herald. Harare, Zimbabwe. 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020.
- "Zimbabwe's former Prisons Chief Zimondi, dies of Covid-19". NewsDay. 23 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021.
- Blocking property of persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe
- "obituary-major-general-retired-paradzai-willings-zimondi-1947-2021". The Herald. Harare, Zimbabwe.
- Malanga, Blessed; Chikandwa, Harriet (28 January 2021). "A healthy Chiwenga resurfaces". NewsDay. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021.
- Mahlahla, Justin (27 January 2021). "We will conquer covid-19, says Acting President Chiwenga at historic heroes' triple burial". ZBC News (Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation). Archived from the original on 27 January 2021.