HARARE – Katrin Hagemann, the head of the European Union Delegation to Zimbabwe, died suddenly at her Harare residence on Thursday, diplomatic sources told ZimLive.
The German national took up the post in December last year after presenting her credentials to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Hagemann reportedly felt unwell after breakfast.
“Her driver found her unresponsive when he went to pick her up for work,” a diplomatic source said.
The EU delegation and Zimbabwe’s foreign ministry were working through diplomatic protocols before formally announcing her death.
Hagemann began her career at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office before joining the European Union Council Secretariat in 2006. She later joined the European External Action Service when it was established in 2011.
From 2015 to 2019, she headed the Political Section of the EU Delegation to Botswana and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
She was appointed deputy head of the EU Delegation to Kenya in 2019.
After becoming EU ambassador to Zimbabwe, Hagemann – who held a degree in astronomy and physics- highlighted the bloc’s support for the country’s efforts to expand trade and investment, pointing to the steady growth in EU-Zimbabwe trade and Zimbabwe’s duty-free, quota-free access to the EU Single Market under the Economic Partnership Agreement.
She also reiterated the EU’s continued engagement in Zimbabwe’s arrears clearance and governance processes, saying these were critical to restoring investor confidence and unlocking international finance.
Hagemann was outspoken on corruption, saying: “Investors are drawn by opportunity and integrity.”
“Partners are here to support, but only Zimbabwe can carry this agenda to completion,” she said.
She also raised concerns over what she described as Zimbabwe’s “shrinking civic space”, citing arrests and restrictions on opposition activities.
“We have seen arrests and the suppression that occurs when opposition figures try to hold press conferences, sometimes finding they cannot because the venue is shut down or the building has been burnt down,” she said in February this year.
