JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – War veteran Blessed Geza, who was sacked from Zanu PF’s central committee after demanding President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s resignation, died in South Africa early on Friday, his family said.
He was 71.
Geza, also known by his war name Cde Bombshell, had been battling cancer, according to friends.
A statement by his family said the former Sanyati MP died “at a cardio hospital,” without providing a name of the facility or cause of death.
“He touched many lives with his fight for justice to ensure that all Zimbabweans realise their aspirations,” the statement said.
Geza shot to fame in January 2025 as a spokesman of a lobby of disaffected ex-combatants who were critical of Zimbabwe’s direction under Mnangagwa, accusing him of corruption and governance failures.
Geza appeared to have already skipped the country when police declared him a wanted man on charges of treason.
From South Africa, he made broadcasts calling for mass action against Mnangagwa, although he appeared softer on the Zanu PF leader’s deputy, Constantino Chiwenga.
His broadcasts led to one successful national job boycott, but subsequent calls for street protests were met with a heavy show of force by security services who arrested dozens of people, some of whom remain in prison.
Even before news of his death was announced, a post had appeared on Geza’s X account in which he stated that he was in his “final moments” and expressing “pain that I might not see the new Zimbabwe after Emmerson (Mnangagwa).”
He said his heart was “heavy with sorrow,” adding: “Our fight is against Emmerson and his corrupt cabal; we must not allow them to crush our spirits.
“Together, we hold the power to demand change and ignite a new world for our children.
“As I speak to you now, I feel my energy sapping; I might not be here tomorrow, next week, or next month.”
Geza was told by doctors before his anti-Mnangagwa activism that he had months to live, according to people familiar with his health troubles.
“He had nothing to lose,” said a family friend. “But he wanted his last days on earth to count.”
HStv journalist Blessed Mhlanga was arrested and spent months in prison after one of Geza’s videos was published by the Alpha Media Holdings unit.
In his final farewell to Zimbabweans, Geza wrote on X he would “fight from the grave” to stop a plan to extend Mnangagwa’s second and final term beyond 2028. The president maintains he will step down when his term expires, but zealous supporters are ready to table a constitutional amendment to extend his term to at least 2030.
Tributes poured in for Geza. Former local government minister Saviour Kasukuwere said it was “very unfortunate that he had to die in a foreign country, away from the land for which he sacrificed everything during the war of liberation.”
He added: “He showed courage even in his final days, at a time when many did not know that he was battling illness. That is the mark of someone who loved his country deeply and carried his pain with quiet dignity.”
Former Binga South MP Prince Dubeko Sibanda, said on X: “I interacted with him closely during the 8th parliament when he was MP for Sanyati. I respected him. I still do. He was a fighter of the struggle for emancipation. His name is recorded in the history of Zimbabwe.”
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