Zimbabwe is mourning the loss of former MDC senator Lilian Timveos, who passed away on Monday morning at Avenues Clinic in Harare following a short, undisclosed illness. Her death comes just over two years after she made the significant move to join the ruling Zanu PF party, a decision that marked a turning point in her long and prominent career in Zimbabwean opposition politics.
Born in Kwekwe in 1973, Timveos attended Vainona High School in Harare before embarking on a path that would see her become a recognisable figure in the nation’s political landscape. She is survived by her husband, Michael Timveos, and their four children.
Timveos’s defection to Zanu PF in February 2021, alongside former Kwekwe Central MP Blessing Chebundo, was a high-profile event, marking her departure from the opposition ranks. She was among the first group of MDC leaders to switch allegiances to the ruling party. This bold move was followed by appointments to prominent positions within the Zanu PF structure and state-owned enterprises.
In June 2021, she was appointed to the Petrotrade board, a state-owned fuel company, after a five-year period without a governing board. However, her tenure was later marked by controversy as she faced suspension on allegations of corruption. Despite this setback, her political career continued to progress within the Zanu PF framework.
In May 2023, Timveos took on the role of national secretary responsible for training and implementation within the Citizens Against Economic Sanctions (CAES), representing the Midlands province on the National Executive Council. CAES is a Zanu PF-aligned organisation actively campaigning against international sanctions imposed on members of the ruling party’s leadership. Her involvement in CAES demonstrated her continued commitment to Zanu PF’s political objectives.
In April 2021, she completed her studies at the ruling party’s Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology, further solidifying her integration into the Zanu PF structure. Following her graduation, she was elected as a member of Zanu PF’s Zvishavane District.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, currently attending the COP29 climate change conference in Azerbaijan, issued a heartfelt condolence message expressing his shock and sadness at Timveos’s passing. He described her as “a dynamic, grassroots politician, a community leader and an enterprising businesswoman,” praising her “daring, independent-minded politics and tenacious search for larger unity and consensual politics in our Nation.”
In his message, President Mnangagwa further stated: “I received with utter shock and sadness news of the passing on today of Mrs Lilian Timveos after a sudden, unexpected illness. A dynamic, grassroots politician, a community leader and an enterprising businesswoman, Mrs Timveos’ demise has robbed our Nation of a promising leader and staunch gender activist who earned and commanded respect across the national political divide. Her rejoining the ruling ZANU PF Party, alongside several hundreds of erstwhile opposition leaders and activists, mirrored her daring, independent-minded politics and tenacious search for larger unity and consensual politics in our Nation.
“We respect her immensely, and will forever cherish and remember her boldness in seeking to break the binary mould within which our politics have been cast, to the detriment of unity, consensus and cohesion in our Nation. She thus leaves behind a salutary lesson of broad-minded politics to those in opposition, while exhorting those of us in the ruling Party to always strive for, and work towards building a broad political church in which all are welcome and accommodated.
“On behalf of the ruling Zanu PF Party, Government, my Family, and on my behalf, I wish to express my deepest, heartfelt condolences to the Timveos Family on this, their saddest and so unexpected loss. May they find respite and comfort in the great esteem with which we all held her. I have directed Government to weigh in by according the dear departed Comrade a State-assisted funeral. May her dear soul rest in eternal peace.”
