Brigadier General Victor Mzheri Declared National Hero Following Death in Harare

Brigadier General (Retired) Victor Mpandasekwa Mzheri, a decorated liberation war veteran known as Cde Khetani Khanye, has been declared a National Hero following his death in Harare at age 75 (image source)

Brigadier General (Retired) Victor Mpandasekwa Mzheri, a decorated liberation war veteran who served in Zimbabwe’s post-independence defence structures, has been declared a National Hero following his death on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, at age 75.

The formal notice was delivered to the Mzheri family in Borrowdale by the Minister of State for National Security, Honourable Lovemore Matuke, on Wednesday evening.

Known during the liberation struggle by his Chimurenga name Cde Khetani Khanye, Mzheri joined the fight for independence and later integrated into the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA). The ZNA confirmed his passing and issued a tribute through Commander Lieutenant General Emmanuel Matatu, describing Mzheri as a veteran who “served the nation with distinction” both during the war and in peacetime defence and reconstruction roles.

Mzheri’s career spanned the transition from guerrilla combatant to senior military officer in a national force charged with stabilising a newly independent state. The announcement underlines his role in the formative years of Zimbabwe’s defence establishment and situates his death within a generation of commanders whose wartime credentials shaped post-1980 security institutions.

He is survived by four children — Anesu, Ropafadzai, Tinashe, and Khanye. Mourners have gathered at the family residence at House Number 189, Helensvale, Borrowdale, Harare, where condolences are being received. Official burial arrangements are pending and will be announced in due course.