Story by Peter Chivhima
A Funeral Parade has been held for Air Commodore (Retired) Peter Zimondi who died on Friday last week.
A sense of profound loss and grief hung in the air as relatives and colleagues gathered at Manyame Airforce Base this Monday to bid farewell to the late Air Commodore (Retired) Peter Zimondi.
“Air Commodore (Retired) Peter Zimondi was a dedicated officer and an administrator par excellence. We have lost a good man and we say to him, rest in peace,” said Air Commodore (Retired) Washington Makurumidze.
“I met Air Commodore (Retired) Peter Zimondi in 1984 and later on I had an opportunity to work with him at Air Force Headquarters. I learnt a lot from him, he was such a calibre who wanted things to be done straight forward,” added Group Captain Simbarashe Dube.
The late Air Commodore (Retired) Zimondi was also a family unifier.
His brother, Mr Zimondi said, “Peter was my young brother and as a family, we have lost a family unifier. Every member can testify because he was ready to assist everyone in the family.”
Giving his eulogy on behalf of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, chief mourner and Commander Air Force of Zimbabwe, Air Marshal John Jacob Nzvede described the late as a dedicated officer.
He said, “In recognition of his outstanding performance and dedication to duty, the late Air Commando (Retired) Peter Sheik Zimondi rose through the ranks as follows, Air Sub Lieutenant in 1982, Air Lieutenant in 1983, Flight Lieutenant in 1984, Squadron Leader in 1985, Wing Commander in 1991, Group Captain in 2007, and Air Commodore in 2018.
“The late Air Commodore (Retired) Zimondi had a career in the Air Force of Zimbabwe(AFZ) that spanned 37 years. His promotion records are impressive and this is because of his outstanding capabilities. As many who worked with him will attest, he was a dedicated and highly committed officer. As a result, he was appointed to lead in some critical areas where his work ethic and commitments to excellence left a mark that can never be erased in the history of the AFZ.”
Air Commodore (Retired) Zimondi gave 37 years of his life to the AFZ, starting his military career in 1981 after training in Nigeria.
He journeyed through a long military career until his retirement in 2018 when he was promoted to the rank of Air Commodore.
During his illustrious military career, Air Commodore (Retired) Zimondi held various positions including Base Commander at Manyame, Director of Administration at Air Force Headquarters and Director of Inspectorate at Air HQ.
He also received several medals for serving Zimbabwe with dedication and loyalty.
He died on the 13th of this month at the age of 65 from injuries sustained in a road traffic accident near Zororo Memorial Park in Chitungwiza two months ago.
Burial arrangements will be announced in due course.
