Zimbabwe government denies extraterritorial killing of activist in South Africa

HARARE – The Zimbabwean government has denied any involvement in the killing of a political activist in South Africa after allegations emerged online claiming he was targeted in an extraterritorial assassination.

Kudzai Weston Saruwaka, an activist who supported calls by the late war veteran Blessed Geza for political change in Zimbabwe, was found dead with gunshot wounds in the Mabopane area of Pretoria on February 7.

His brother, Trevor Saruwaka, the former opposition MP for Mutasa Central, alleged in a Facebook post that the killing was politically motivated.

“The political thugs have assassinated my young brother, Kudzai Weston Saruwaka, of the GEZA REVOLUTION only a day after the death of Cde Blessed Bombshell Geza,” he wrote. “You are a martyr who has paid the ultimate price for the freedom of Zimbabwe. The cause is still there so the struggle shall continue.”

Government spokesman Ndavaningi Mangwana dismissed claims linking Harare to the killing, suggesting instead that Saruwaka was the latest statistic of South Africa’s high murder rate.

“We categorically reject the unfounded allegations being pushed around the internet regarding the tragic death of a Zimbabwean national in South Africa. We had absolutely no role in this incident,” Mangwana said in a statement.

“We extend our condolences to the family and express our full confidence in the South African authorities, who we trust will conduct a thorough investigation. As a nation grappling with one of the world’s highest rates of violent crime, South Africa’s police are experienced in such complex cases. We urge all parties to allow the process to proceed without harmful speculation.”

The timing of Saruwaka’s death, just a day after Geza succumbed to cancer while in exile in South Africa, prompted speculation among some activists who questioned whether it was coincidental.

A video interview has been broadcast online by a blogger showing Saruwaka outside what was described as “the home of Bombshell Geza.” Saruwaka explained that he had come to pay his respects but had been informed that Geza’s wife had gone to “sort out paperwork,” and he had to leave because “I’m going out of South Africa soon after this.”

United States-based pro-democracy campaigner Freeman Chari wrote on X: “There is no doubt in my mind that hitmen sent by Zanu PF assassinated Saruwaka.”

Friends said Saruwaka left Zimbabwe in October last year after receiving what he believed to be credible threats to his life linked to his political activism.

In South Africa, he reportedly earned a living selling branded door rugs, entrance mats and carpets.

According to accounts shared by family and associates, a client placed an order worth R27,000, paying in three batches of R9,000 through ATM cash deposits. After preparing the order, Saruwaka allegedly discovered that the client’s contact number had stopped working.

He reportedly heard nothing further for over two months until last week, when he was sent a location in Mabopane to complete delivery.

Reports indicate that Saruwaka travelled to the site using an Uber. Gunmen allegedly ambushed the vehicle upon arrival in a bushy area, fatally shooting him.

Family members, citing police information, said nothing appeared to have been stolen from the vehicle, including the consignment he was delivering, raising suspicions that he may have been deliberately lured to the location.

Tributes have poured in from political figures and fellow activists.

Movement for Democratic Change leader Douglas Mwonzora said he was “very sad to hear of the passing on of young Kudzai Saruwaka.”

“He was one of the most gifted, fearless and focused young people in our country. Our nation is enveloped by a dark cloud of sorrow. For those who are behind this there is no heroism. Murder most foul,” Mwonzora wrote on X.

Gladys Hlatywayo, a former MP and secretary for external affairs in the Citizens Coalition for Change, said the killing bore “the footprints of an extraterritorial assassination.”

South African police have not yet publicly commented on possible motives as investigations continue.

Claims that Zimbabwe may have carried out an extraterritorial killing of a political activist will send a chill down the spines of dozens of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s critics who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries to escape his regime’s agents.