Paradzai Willings Zimondi (Paradzai Willings Zimonte) (4 March 1947 – 22 January 2021) was a Zimbabwe military junta and Prison Director. Zimondi was considered a hero of the Zimbabwean struggle for independence, and he later attained the rank of major general in the Zimbabwean army. After his military retirement, he served for twenty-two years as the Prisons and Corrections Services Commissioner-General for Zimbabwe. He was part of the military junta that staged coups in Zimbabwe in favor of Robert Mugabe. He was part of the Joint Operations Command , a military de facto planning committee of Zimbabwe

Career

During the

liberation struggle Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

Zimondi took the ''nom de guerre'' of Comrade Tonderai Nyika. In 1974 he received his initial ZANLA training at Mgagao Training Camp in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, after which he was sent as a trainer to

Chimoio Chimoio is the capital of Manica Province in Mozambique. It is the fifth-largest city in Mozambique. Chimoio's name under Portuguese administration was ''Vila Pery''. Vila Pery developed under Portuguese rule as an important agricultural and t ...

in western

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

. He rose to become the provincial commander in

Manica Province Manica is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 62,272 km2 and a population of 1,945,994 (2017 census). The province is surrounded by Zimbabwe to the west, Tete Province to the northwest, Sofala Province to the east, the Save Rive ...

, where he led the ZANLA forces to major successes in the battles of he Ruda, Gandayi, the attack on Umtali (

Mutare Mutare, formerly known as Umtali until 1982, is the capital and largest city in the province of Manicaland. It is the third most populated in Zimbabwe. Having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 ...

), Mavhonde (Mavonde) and Grand Reef. The battles of Mavhonde and Grand Reef were decisive in breaking the spirit of the Rhodesian Army. At the end of the liberation struggle Zimondi was the military governor of the ZANLA occupied areas of

of Mozambique and adjacent areas in

Manicaland Province Manicaland is a Provinces of Zimbabwe, province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's second-most populous province, with a population of 2.037 million, as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census. Making it the third mo ...

of Zimbabwe. In 1981, he was attested into the

Zimbabwe National Army The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) is the primary branch of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces responsible for land-oriented military operations. It is the largest service branch under the Zimbabwean Joint Operations Command (JOC). The modern army h ...

as a colonel and was subsequently promoted to major general. Among his military posts was Commander of the Presidential Guard. In 1997, Zimondi joined the Zimbabwe Prison Services as a Deputy Commissioner, where he undertook to propose reforms after studying the British, Danish and Swedish prison systems. The following year, he was appointed first Acting Commissioner, and then Commissioner-General, following the retirement of long-serving Langton Chigwida. Among his accomplishments as director he significantly improved health services for prisoners, and expanded the number of prison farms from sixteen to twenty-four. Zimondi retired from the Prison Service effective 1 November 2020. He was placed on sanctions lists by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

in 2002 and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 2003. He remained on the lists until his death.

Personal life

Zimondi was born in 1947 to Charles Zimondi and Abigail Karimazondo Zimondi in the Uzumba District of

Mashonaland East Province Mashonaland East, informally Mash East, is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 32,230 km2 and a population of approximately 1.73 million (2022). Marondera is the capital of the province. Demographics The province has a histo ...

. He attended Nyamuzuwe High School in Mutoko, but left to become a freedom fighter in the

Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhod ...

(ZANLA). He married Annie Flora Imagine Chairuka, and had two children. Zimondi died of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe The COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ().The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Zimbabwe in March 2020. So ...

and was buried in the cemetery at the National Heroes' Acre.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimondi, Paradzai 1947 births 2021 deaths Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe People from Uzumba District Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army personnel Zimbabwean generals