Bulawayo — The family of an army officer buried at Heroes' Acre last month now says he died a "mysterious death", reinforcing speculation the former commander of the Presidential Guard was "liquidated" for his role in a botched coup attempt.

There have been persistent allegations that the 1 Brigade commander, Brigadier General Paul Armstrong Gunda, was among military officers involved in a failed plot to topple President Robert Mugabe.

Officially, his death was announced as the result of an accident involving his car and a goods train near Marondera.

He was declared a national hero, but the results of a postmortem on his body have not been made public.

Gunda's wife, Rangarirai Tatenda, on Friday hinted the family did not believe the official explanation that her husband died in an "accident".

In an advertisement in the Bulawayo State newspaper, The Chronicle last Friday, marking the 29th day of his death, she said: "It's now 29 days, honie, since you left me and the kids alone. Your mysterious train accident left me with no words.

"Give me strength to carry on. I loved you: I still love you and will forever love you till we meet again."

Efforts to get her to elaborate her claims yesterday were futile as the family was said to be holding a two-day "vigil", which began on Friday and ends this morning in Victoria Falls in the late general's memory.

Seven civilians and serving army officers were arrested last month for allegedly plotting a coup against Mugabe. They are all still in custody.

They allegedly wanted to replace the aging veteran leader with Rural Housing and Social Amenities minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Several senior army officials, including Gunda, were implicated in the plot, but the government has not made a public statement about their alleged house arrests.

Mugabe last week said his detractors in the West had failed to convince the military to topple him.

He was speaking at the burial of yet another top army general, Brigadier General Fakazi Muleya at the Heroes' Acre.

Muleya was the third general to be buried at the shrine inside a month after Gunda and Brigadier General Gideon Lifa.

Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, the Minister of Information and Publicity was not immediately available to comment on the Gunda family's message.

The widow of another national hero buried at the Heroes' Acre, Pamela Tungamirai, once hinted in a similar advertisement that she thought her husband had been poisoned.

Josiah Tungamirai died after what was described as a long struggle with a kidney ailment.