Zimbabwe is mourning the death of Retired Major General Everisto Dzihwema, a former senior military officer who later served in key government positions.
Dzihwema died while receiving treatment in India. His death has been described as a loss to the country, especially among those who knew his long service in both the security sector and public administration.
He was part of a generation of senior military figures who later moved into civilian leadership roles after leaving active service.
Over the years, he held important positions in government and contributed to programmes linked to youth development and the welfare of liberation war veterans.
A Career of Military and Public Service
Retired Major General Dzihwema served Zimbabwe for decades.
His career included both military service and senior administrative work in government. After his time in the security sector, he moved into public administration.
He later served as Chief Director in the Ministry of Youth. He also held the same position in the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle.
Those roles placed him at the centre of government programmes involving young people and former liberation war fighters.
His work linked the discipline of military service with the demands of civilian administration.
Work With War Veterans
Dzihwema also served as a member of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Board.
The board deals with issues affecting liberation war veterans and their welfare. This area has remained politically and socially important in Zimbabwe for many years.
War veterans continue to play a major role in the country’s history, politics and national memory.
Dzihwema’s contribution in that space reflected his continued connection to people who were part of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
He was involved in efforts meant to support programmes for veterans and improve their welfare.
Respected by Colleagues
Those who worked with Dzihwema regarded him as a committed public servant. His career reflected a path followed by several senior military officers who later moved into government administration. Such transitions are important in Zimbabwe’s political and public service landscape.
Many former security officials have carried their experience into state institutions, where they have been involved in policy, coordination and implementation.
Dzihwema was one of those figures. He served in areas that required discipline, structure and knowledge of government systems.
A Loss to the Nation
His death marks the passing of a senior figure who served Zimbabwe in more than one capacity. He was not only a retired military officer.
He was also a civil servant who spent years working in government ministries. For many people, his life will be remembered through the different offices he held and the sectors he served.
His work touched the youth sector, the veterans’ sector and broader public administration.
That made his career part of Zimbabwe’s wider story of military officers moving into civilian public service after active duty.
Family Left in Mourning
Dzihwema is survived by his wife, Alice, and their three children.
His family is now expected to announce funeral and burial arrangements in due course. At the time of reporting, no official burial programme had been released.
The family is expected to guide the public once arrangements have been finalised. For now, relatives, colleagues and those who worked with him are mourning his death.
Remembering Everisto Dzihwema
Retired Major General Everisto Dzihwema’s death comes as Zimbabwe continues to lose figures from its older generation of military and public service leaders.
His life reflected service in uniform and service in government. He moved from the security sector into ministries that dealt with youth and liberation war veterans.
That journey gave him a place in both military and civilian administration.
While more details around his final days and burial arrangements are expected, his passing has already been felt among those who followed his years of service.
Zimbabwe has lost a retired Major General, a former senior civil servant and a man remembered for his contribution to national service.
Sources: Bulawayo24
