20120318
AFP
Zimbabwe's first post-independence army chief Solomon Mujuru's death in a mysterious blaze last year was not due to foul play, according to an inquest report cited on Saturday.

"Despite highly held speculation and suspicion from the public and close relatives...there is no evidence presented to court to prove to the contrary," the Daily News said, citing a final inquest report not yet released officially.

The fire in August last year extensively damaged his farm house in Beatrice, south of Harare.

There is speculation that Mujuru, who was widely seen as a kingmaker in President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, was killed by somebody within his party, and that his death in the fire was not accidental.

Lawmakers, including his wife Vice-President Joice Mujuru, have queried how he could have failed to escape from the burning house through various low-level windows.

The Mujuru family had called for an independent pathologist to be allowed to examine his remains but a magistrate turned down the request.

Known by his war name Rex Nhongo, Mujuru led Zimbabwe's liberation forces during the 1970s bush war against the whites-only Rhodesian government.

After independence in 1980, he became the army chief. Until his death at age 62, he remained an influential member of the ZANU-PF amid internal rivalries and tensions after violent and inconclusive presidential elections in 2008.

He was respected as one of the few people able to speak frankly to Mugabe about ending political violence against the veteran president's opponents.