Zimbabwe Guerrilla Commander Dead
Former military commander Lookout Masuku, who was released from four years of detention last month, died Saturday at the age of 46, a hospital spokesman here said.
Masuku was commander of the guerrilla forces of opposition leader Joshua Nkomo before independence in 1980. He was arrested in 1982, along with Nkomo’s military intelligence chief, Dumiso Dabengwa, on charges of plotting a coup against Prime Minister Robert Mugabe’s government.
He and Dabengwa, who is still being held, were tried the following year and acquitted on treason charges. They were immediately rearrested.
A spokesman for Parirenyatwa Hospital here, where Masuku was admitted Feb. 9, said he suffered from cryptococcal meningitis, an inflammation of membranes covering the brain.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
