Story by John Nhandara
THE stage is set for the burial of national hero, Dr Sydney Gata, who has been described by family and colleagues as a pillar of strength and a man dedicated to the development of the nation.
Dr Gata will be buried this Wednesday at the National Heroes Acre.
The body of national hero, Dr Sydney Gata, was taken to his farm in Middle Sabi, Manicaland province on Monday night before a church service was held this Tuesday morning.
The national hero’s family spoke during the church service about the life of a man they described as a pillar of strength.
Thereafter, the body was flown to Harare where another funeral service was held at the ZESA Training Centre where colleagues and other stakeholders were afforded an opportunity to bid farewell to the late ZESA Executive Chairperson.
“We are united in mourning yet also celebrating the life of an extra ordinary man. An iconic figure in the energy sector whose visionary leadership and dedication he has Left an indelible mark in The SADC region and beyond. He leaves behind a legacy of unwavering commitment to the energy sector,” said ZESA Holdings board vice chairperson, Mr Albert Nduna.
Mutapa Investment Fund CEO, Dr John Mangudya weighed in, “He was a man that we respected icon of the electricity sector in Zimbabwe who became the first general manager of the Electricity Supply Commission. He had his career spanning over 40 decades. He was a fearless leader. We regarded him as a reservoir of knowledge.”
The Minister of Energy and Power Development, Honourable July Moyo traced Dr Gata’s history in the energy sector and his commitment to national development.
“We are bidding farewell to our hero. He was an institutional builder. We worked closely together going to countries like China to look for investors. His vision was to see the repowering of Hwange units 1 to 6,” noted Honourable Moyo.
The body will lie in state at Charles Gumbo Barracks ahead of burial at the national shrine this Wednesday.
Dr Gata’s accomplishments at the helm of ZESA Holdings include overseeing the implementation of the Hwange Power Station Phase one and two projects and restructuring of the energy sector under the End User Infrastructure Development Programme which rolled out 300 irrigation projects countrywide.
Dr Gata, who died on Thursday last week, is survived by his wife, Honourable Angeline Gata, who is the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, children, and grandchildren.
