Story by Abigirl Tembo
COLLEAGUES of the late Ambassador Johannes Tomana who was Zimbabwe’s envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo have described him as a loyal diplomat who served his country diligently.
Ambassador to Malawi, Her Excellency Nancy Saungweme and Ambassador Charity Charamba who is representing Zimbabwe in Zambia have described the late Tomana as a man of great intellect and talent whose absence will be felt in the country’s diplomatic circles.
“Ambassador Tomana, Charity Charamba and myself were appointed by His Excellency President Emerson Mnangagwa at the same time in 2020 and in that regard we became very close. We used to communicate quite a lot with Ambassador Tomana. As you are aware, he was a legal guru and we would consult on a lot of issues I learnt a lot from him. He was a man of prayer and was always encouraging me to pray and always be prayerful. A jovial man he was and we will greatly miss him and I will miss his legal and spiritual counsel,” she said.
Ambassador Charamba added, “I knew him before when he was the PG and then we started working together when we were appointed Ambassadors. One thing I picked from Tomana was that he was a very committed family man. We learnt quite a lot from him as we interacted with him.
“When he was posted to his mission he just hit the ground running. Ambassador Tomana transitioned to become an Ambassador par excellence and as we shared notes, and experiences, you could feel that Ambassador Tomana was very committed to his country. He was passionate and loyal to his country and he gave everything to his country.”
Ambassador Tomana will be buried together with Brigadier-General (Retired) Milton Siziba during Heroes Day commemorations at the National Heroes Acre on Monday.
