Lieutenant General Engelbert Rugeje (Rtd), a prominent Zanu PF politburo member, narrowly escaped death last week in a bizarre car accident in Harare’s Mt Pleasant suburb. The incident, shrouded in secrecy, has raised questions and fuelled speculation within the ruling party, The Standard has reported.
Sources within Zanu PF confirmed that one of the front wheels of Rugeje’s vehicle detached while he was driving, nearly causing the car to overturn. Only the fortunate intervention of some rocks prevented a potentially fatal rollover.
“Our former Zanu PF national political commissar Rugeje was involved in an accident last week in Mt Pleasant during the night and is lucky to have survived,” a source close to the matter revealed.
“There have been attempts to cover up the accident as the security services don’t want the matter to be discussed in the public domain.”
When contacted by The Standard People, Rugeje appeared surprised by the news of the accident reaching the media. “Who gave you this information? Where did you get that,” he curtly responded but refused to elaborate further. Sources suggest Rugeje remains shaken by the near-fatal experience.
The string of misfortunes involving Zimbabwe’s military elite is noteworthy. Since the 2017 coup, over 25 serving and retired army generals, some instrumental in the ousting of the late President Robert Mugabe, have died. Numerous other senior officers have been retired or redeployed.
Rugeje himself played a significant role in ensuring Mugabe’s continued rule after he lost the first round of the 2008 elections to the late opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The army, under Rugeje’s influence, launched a brutal campaign against the opposition, ultimately forcing Tsvangirai to withdraw from the presidential run-off.
Following his retirement and promotion to Lieutenant General in December 2017, Rugeje was appointed Zanu PF’s national political commissar. However, his tenure was short-lived, and he was removed from the position in 2019, ostensibly “pending redeployment”. Five years later, that redeployment remains elusive.
Rugeje’s removal paved the way for war veteran Victor Matematanda, who was later appointed Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Mozambique. Matematanda’s successor, Mike Bimha, was replaced in May this year by Munyaradzi Machacha, the former principal of the Zanu PF Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology and director of publications.
This recent accident is not Rugeje’s first brush with tragedy. In October 2020, a shooting incident at his Mt Pleasant home resulted in one death and five critical injuries. While Rugeje was reportedly not present during the two-hour gun battle between his security detail and unknown assailants, the incident raised serious security concerns.
A suspect later died in police custody at Harare Central Police Station. Identified as Kudakwashe Mupedzazvose, his Zanu PF Youth League membership card was discovered at the crime scene. While police initially claimed a gunfight had occurred, sources later revealed that the suspects, believed to be copper thieves targeting power lines during an outage, were unarmed.
Adding another layer of tragedy, Rugeje’s uncle, Erasmus Rugeje, a retired member of the Zimbabwe National Army, died in a head-on collision with a bus in Bikita in April this year.
The recent accident involving Rugeje, coupled with the death of Air Commodore Zimondi, has cast a pall over Zimbabwe’s military community. The circumstances surrounding the decorated military veteran’s near-fatal incident remain unclear, with attempts to suppress information fuelling speculation and concern.
Engelbert Rugeje joined ZANLA as a teenage guerrilla fighter, rising through the ranks to become a key member of the general staff. After Zimbabwe’s independence, he integrated into the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, quickly ascending from major to lieutenant colonel and then colonel. During this period, he commanded troops against both the ZIPRA rebellion in Matabeleland and RENAMO insurgents in Mozambique, achieving significant victories in both campaigns. His leadership at Inkomo Barracks and command of One Commando Battalion were crucial to these successes.
Rugeje’s career continued its upward trajectory with a promotion to brigadier general and the role of ZNA quartermaster in 1990. He further distinguished himself in the late 1990s, leading successful counter-insurgency missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Alongside his military achievements, Rugeje pursued academic excellence, earning master’s degrees in Defence & Strategic Studies and Law from Lancaster University, as well as an MBA from Harvard University.
Reaching the rank of major general in 2000, Rugeje became the fourth in command of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. He publicly acknowledged the strong cooperation between the Zimbabwean and Chinese militaries in 2006. Finally, upon retirement in 2017, President Mnangagwa promoted him to lieutenant general, marking the culmination of a distinguished military career.
