Chief Sinamangonde dies

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
CHIEF Sinamagonde of Lusulu in Binga has died at the age of 78.

A family spokesperson Mr Robert Muzamba confirmed the death and said Chief Sinamagonde, whose birth name was Sinyenyi Muchwayile, died last Friday at St Luke’s Hospital in Lupane where he had been admitted for a week.

Mr Muzamba said the chief suffered a stroke while he was at his homestead and was rushed to hospital.

“His death shocked us all. He had been complaining about his feet and chest for a long time but was not sick. On Sunday morning he was sitting on a stool outside his bedroom hut when he suddenly went numb like a person who had suffered a stroke. They called me and when I arrived, I tried to talk to him but he wouldn’t respond. It was painful to see him just staring at people without saying anything,” said Mr Muzamba.

Chief Sinamagonde had been on the throne since 1983, added Mr Muzamba.

The chief’s son Mr Bigboy Mumpande said the family had lost a unifier.

“The whole family looked up to him as a unifier and source of strength. His death shocked us. He woke up in the morning and sat outside on a stool as he was preparing to wash his face. Suddenly he went numb and couldn’t say a word,” he said.

Mr Mumpande said his father had been complaining about painful feet, something that started before the country’s independence in 1980.

He said this was after he was reportedly severely beaten by the former colonial government’s police who had arrested him for supporting the liberation struggle.

Mr Mumpande said his father was detained for five years at Khami, Chikurumbi and Whawha prisons.

Chief Sinamagonde is set to be buried at his homestead today.

He is survived by four wives, 16 children and 71 grandchildren. — @ncubeleon