Moven Enock Mahachi | |
Office: | Minister of Defence of Zimbabwe |
Term Start: | 1992 |
Term End: | 26 May 2001 |
President: | Robert Mugabe |
Predecessor: | Richard Hove |
Successor: | Sydney Sekeramayi |
Constituency: | Makoni West |
Birth Date: | 13 June 1948 |
Birth Place: | Manicaland, Southern Rhodesia (now Manicaland, Zimbabwe) |
Death Place: | Nyanga, Zimbabwe |
Nationality: | Zimbabwean |
Party: | ZANU-PF |
Alma Mater: | UNISA |
Profession: | M.P. |
Moven Enock Mahachi (13 June 1948 – 26 May 2001) served as the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Zimbabwe.[1] He was a close ally of Robert Mugabe within Z.A.N.U.-P.F. Before becoming Defence Minister Mahachi served as M.P. for Makoni West.[2]
Mahachi was killed on 26 May 2001 when his 2001 Land Rover Discovery collided with an Alfa Romeo sedan which did not give way to the Land Rover which was travelling along the Mutare to Nyanga road. The Land Rover subsequently overturned and landed up-side down on its roof. Mahachi who was seated in the back seat suffered head injuries and was declared dead on the spot. The car had four other passengers who all survived. [3] At the time Zimbabweans considered his death suspicious, especially as Mahachi died thirty days after another M.P., Border Gezi, was killed.
Mahachi was married and had four children at the time of his death. He was declared a national hero by the Government of Zimbabwe and was buried in the National Heroes' Acre in Harare.
On 30 July 2009 Mahachi's predecessor, Enos Nkala, claimed that Mahachi was assassinated at the behest of Robert Mugabe because he opposed the looting of diamonds in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In a statement he said:
In 2005 Mahachi was commemorated on Zimbabwean Post $50,000 stamp.