AIR Vice Marshal (Retired) Winnie Mandeya, a senior officer of the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), has died.
She was 64.
Air Vice Marshal Retired Mandeya died early Monday morning at St Anne’s Hospital in Harare.
Confirming the sad news, Commander Air Force of Zimbabwe, Air Marshal Jacob John Nzvede, said the late Air Vice Marshal Retired Mandeya served the AFZ with dedication and loyalty since 1984.
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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,” he said.
“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,”
Born on the 14th of July in 1960, in Rusape, Air Vice Marshal Retired Mandeya’s journey was marked by groundbreaking achievements.
She was among the cadres who survived the Chimoio attack.
In 2022, President Emmerson Mnangagwa promoted her to Air Vice Marshal, a rank equivalent to Major General in the Zimbabwe National Army, recognising her dedication and trailblazing service.
Meanwhile, a funeral parade for Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Mandeya will be held at Manyame Air Force Base this Tuesday.
Mourners are gathered at 766 Hogerty Hill in Borrowdale, Harare.
