The Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) is mourning the loss of one of its distinguished pioneers, Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Winnie Mandeya, who passed away in the early hours of Monday at St Anne’s Hospital in Harare. She was 64.
Her death was confirmed by the Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, Air Marshal Jacob John Nzvede, who paid tribute to her long and faithful service to the nation.
He said the late Air Vice Marshal Retired Mandeya served the AFZ with dedication and loyalty since 1984. Said Air Marshal Nzvede:
The Air Force of Zimbabwe family is saddened by the passing on of Air Vice Marshal Winnie Cabby Mandeya (Retired) on April 28 2025. She was a determined cadre who served the Air Force of Zimbabwe since 1984 and a liberation war heroine.
The late AVM Winnie Cabby Mandeya (Retired) joined the liberation struggle on September 29, 1975 and successfully completed basic military training at Nachingweya, Tanzania and was deployed in Gaza Province where she operated until 1978 when she was selected for a nursing course.
At independence, she joined the President’s Department where she actively participated in the commission of inquiry into missing persons in 1981 and later transferred to the Air Force of Zimbabwe on July 1, 1984.
Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Winnie Mandeya was born on 14 July 1960 in Rusape. She was one of the survivors of the infamous Chimoio attack.
In 2022, her decades of dedicated service were recognised when President Emmerson Mnangagwa promoted her to the rank of Air Vice Marshal, a position equivalent to Major General in the Zimbabwe National Army.
A funeral parade for Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Mandeya will be held this Tuesday at Manyame Air Force Base to honour her life and service.
More: ZBC News
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