FORMER Midlands governor Cephas Msipa has died.
The death of the former Zanu PF politburo member comes after he was recently hospitalised for a chest infection.
His friend, David Coltart, confirmed the passing on of Msipa but did not give much details through his Facebook account.
Msipa was born on 7 July 1931 in Shabani in a family of 10 children.
He was educated at Siboza School from 1941 to 1943 before going to Dadaya Mission where he was taught by Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole. He left school in 1949 but returned to Dadaya in 1951 to train as a primary school teacher. Between 1953 to 1954, he studied privately for his Matriculation Exemption Certificate.
The former Midlands governor — who fondly referred to President Robert Mugabe as muzukuru (nephew) — played a huge part in ending the Gukurahundi massacres which claimed thousands of civilian lives in the 1980s.
He was instrumental in bringing about the 1987 Unity Accord.
At the time of his death Msipa was a retired politician. Of late he had become a critic of his old friend and nephew, Mugabe, whom he routinely advised against ‘arrogance’.