Sibusiso Busi Moyo (SB Moyo) (196020 January 2021) was a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

an politician and army

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. He was noted for announcing the ousting of

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...

on national television during the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état. He went on to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in the cabinet of

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (, US: (); born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as President of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Mugabe, he held a se ...

from November 2017 until his death.

Early life

Moyo was born at Mnene Mission Hospital in

Mberengwa Mberengwa is a district in Midlands province in Zimbabwe. The district is now divided into sub-districts: Mberengwa North, East, West and South. It is bounded by Gwanda in Mberengwa west, and by Zvishavane in its northern zone, to the south it st ...

in 1960. He was the third of eight children. While studying at Manama Secondary School, he joined the

liberation struggle The Liberation Struggle in Kerala (1958–59) was a period of anticommunist protest against the first elected state government in Kerala, India, which was led by E. M. S. Namboodiripad of the Communist Party of India. Organised opposition to ...

in 1977. He earned a Masters in International Relations and a PhD in International Relations from the

University of Zimbabwe The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University ...

, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from the

Zimbabwe Open University Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is an open distance education university in Zimbabwe. Established in 1999,major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the

Zimbabwe National Army The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) is the primary branch of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces responsible for land-oriented military operations. It is the largest service branch under the Zimbabwean Joint Operations Command (JOC). The modern army has ...

, before being promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on retirement in December 2017. He was promoted from

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

to major general by former President

in January 2016. Moyo gave a statement to state broadcaster

Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) is the state-owned broadcaster in Zimbabwe. It was established as the Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation (RBC), taking its current name in 1980. Like the RBC before it, the ZBC has been accused of bein ...

on 15 November 2017, one day after the house arrest of Mugabe. He denied that a coup had taken place, stating that "the president … and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed", and that the military were "only targeting criminals around ugabewho are committing crimes... that are causing social and economic suffering in the country". Moyo went on to confirm that " soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy." Three days later, Moyo gave a vote of thanks to all Zimbabweans that marched in solidarity to remove Mugabe outside State House. The announcement role he played in the army stepping in to remove Robert Mugabe as the president of Zimbabwe, coupled with his youthful appearance, earned him the sobriquet "General Bae". Moyo was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on 30 November 2017 by

, who replaced Mugabe as

President of Zimbabwe The president of Zimbabwe is the head of state of Zimbabwe and head of the executive branch of the government of Zimbabwe. The president chairs the national cabinet and is the chief commanding authority of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. The i ...

. He was one of three members of Mnangagwa's cabinet who was not a member of parliament (the others being

Perrance Shiri Perrance Shiri (born Bigboy Samson Chikerema; 11 January 1955US Code Co ...

and

Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward (born 16 September 1983) is a Zimbabwean swimmer and politician currently serving as the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in the Cabinet of Zimbabwe since September 2018. A former Olympic swimmer and wo ...

). Because of Moyo's public role in ending the Mugabe regime, there was speculation in the Zimbabwean press that Moyo was tapped by Mnangagwa as his successor. Moyo was in attendance at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Personal life

Moyo was married to Loice Matanda, a judge who also served as ZACC chairperson. Together, they had two sons and 3 daughters. Moyo died of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

on 20 January 2021 at a local hospital in Harare. He was aged either 60 or 61. He was buried in the National Heroes Acre.

References

External links

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8pmDt60TD8 {{DEFAULTSORT:Moyo, Sibusiso Zimbabwean generals Foreign ministers of Zimbabwe 1960 births 2021 deaths Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe People from Midlands Province University of Zimbabwe alumni Zimbabwe Open University alumni