This was reflected by the colour of the flame and also by the fact that the fire was not easily extinguished and actually became ferocious when water was applied to extinguish it.

Brought into the discussion was for instance a flame from an oxyacetylene torch which burns at over 3000°C, and which is actually hot enough to use for underwater welding. Another possible cause named were copper elements which when at melting point will be ferocious when water is applied.

In his early days...Gen Solomon Mujuru

Local Police officers who attended the death scene of the retired General Tuesday provided clues as they graphically described the last hours of Mujuru’s body which experts judging by the colour of the flames say could easily have been caused by special accelerants.

The officers had stated:

“At the time I got in the house and after a thorough search I discovered that there was a blue flame coming from the body. It was then that my Boss Inspector Dube ordered us to pour water on it so that it stops burning”,

“The body was still on fire and there were strange blue flames coming out of both sides of his abdomen and around the body.” – Constable Garisai

“Lungs and intestines were burnt extensively and the head was now just a skull,” said Inspector Dube who also stated he had seen “strange blue flames” coming from the general’s abdomen.

At the time of writing, the Zimbabwe Republic police was still upholding their official claim that the fire that killed Zimbabwe’s most revered army general was caused by a mere candle-flame.

But independent experts and analysts argue that the colour of any flame is automatically reflective of what kind of fire it is and exactly what caused it.

“Because each element has an exactly defined line emission spectrum, scientists are able to identify them by the color of flame they produce. For example, copper (and Arsenic) produce a blue flame, lithium and strontium a red flame, calcium an orange flame, sodium a yellow flame, and barium a green flame,” reads one website: Web Exhibits

Moreover, London based Bio-physicist, Martin Chinyanga told ZimEye the flame described by the two police officers before Mujuru’s inquest could have been Arsenic, Copper(I), Copper(II) (halide), Indium, or Lead.

Chinyanga who did his masters degree in Bio- Photonics at Lancaster University, however stated that the substance in or around Mujuru’s body is more likely to have been Arsenic or Copper(I). Arsenic is a pesticide which is usually used at farms.

“Elements such as copper require diesel or petrol in order for them to be ignited start burning.”

Chinyanga stated that the fact that the officers failed to put the fire out easily with water further confirms his belief since fuel powered fires require powder or sand rather than water to extinguish them.

“When your car goes on fire, you must not use water but rather sand or carbon powder.

“A fire that is caused by a fuel such as parafin, should be extinguished using carbon powder or sand,” said Chinyanga.

Mujuru’s body was like “a burning object”

During the inquest hearing to date, Mujuru’s body was described by several witnesses who used the phrase: ‘a burning object’ which had the blue flames.

Const Garisai as confirmed by Chinyanga’s find told the inquest that the flames became ferocious when the first buckets of water were applied.

Upon arrival after 20 to 25 minutes, people were using water to put out the fire.

“At the back of the house, people managed to identify a bluish flame. There was an object, which was burning. I peeped through the window and saw an object with folded hands . . . it was akin to a human body,” he said.

Asked where the bluish fire was emanating from, he said it came from the body and areas surrounding it, adding it was different from flames in other parts of the house.

The bluish fire reportedly covered the body and a portion of about 30cm from the body.

Garisai said they were instructed to douse the fire on the body and it took about 10 buckets to extinguish it.

He said upon pouring the first buckets of water, the flames became ferocious.

Seeing the new revelations coming form wtinesses, Martin Chinyaga has called for a relook at Mujuru’s body which he said must be exhumed for further forensic tests:

“They must exhume his body for us to see and re-test and see the chemicals that burnt his body. The elements do not demompose. They stay as they are”, said Chinyanga

Meanwhile the Mujuru family was reported to be faring that evidence has been tampered with.

By ZIMEYE