Veteran Zim politician Chavunduka dies
2013-01-14 08:09
Harare - Gordon Chavunduka, a Zimbabwean politician who was
among negotiators for independence from Britain, died in hospital in the
capital Harare on Friday after a long battle with cancer, his party said.
"I can confirm Professor Chavunduka has passed
on," said Nelson Chamisa, spokesperson for the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) party.
"We have lost one of the doyens of the struggle for
real change. It's very sad indeed for the family of democracy and for
Zimbabweans across the political spectrum," Chamisa told AFP.
Chavunduka, 82, was on the delegation to the 1979 Lancaster
House Conference that led to Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.
He was a senior member of the MDC, serving on the guardian
council of elder politicians, unionists and scholars.
A trained sociologist, he was vice-chancellor at the
University of Zimbabwe, published several books on traditional medicine and was
president of the Zimbabwe traditional healers' association.
He was widely respected across the political spectrum.
- SAPA
