Ambassador Mothobi buried

Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
THE late former diplomat, Ambassador Buzwani Donald Mothobi, who died in Harare last week after a long illness, was buried in Bulawayo yesterday.

A former top envoy to Japan, Kenya, Uganda and the Republic of Korea, Ambassador Mothobi was also one of the longest serving members of the State Procurement Board and was selected to lead its transformation into the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ).

A funeral service was held for Ambassador Mothobi (80) at UCCSA church in Njube before his burial at Lady Stanley Cemetery in the city.

Speaking at the service, Prosecutor General Mr Kumbirai Hodzi described Ambassador Mothobi as a man of integrity who took professionalism seriously and worked hard for his country.

“He was a well respected man in Government which he joined at Independence and led a number of ministries. His lasting legacy was his commitment to create a professional civil service. One of the most celebrated diplomats, Ambassador Mothobi was a diplomat for a long time. He was a soft spoken and intelligent man. All the people who worked with him will attest to the fact that he contributed immensely to the development of this country and building leadership qualities in all of us,” said Mr Hodzi.

He added that Ambassador Mothobi was a man of honour with rigorous integrity and lived his life beyond reproach.

“There’s no scandal connected to him during his lengthy period of public service. He also left a legacy in his involvement in the crafting of the Procurement Act.

“The Procurement Act is one of the most advanced pieces of legislation which I use as Prosecutor General and my colleagues in the National Prosecution Authority (NPA). This Act is used to fight corruption in the procurement sector,” said Mr Hodzi.

PRAZ chairperson, Mrs Vimbai Nyemba, said Zimbabwe had lost a patriot who loved his country.

“Ambassador Mothobi was my deputy chairperson at PRAZ but before that he was the chairperson and I was his deputy when it was still the State Procurement Board. He was a patriotic man who loved his country.

“His country came first even in our meetings. He was a highly qualified professional with a lot of wisdom. He always wanted everything to be done perfectly and shunned corruption,” said Mrs Nyemba.

She said Ambassador Mothobi was strict and demanded everything to be done according to the Procurement Act.

“I personally learnt a lot from him as he mentored me. I’ll really miss his advice. When he wrote his letter of resignation in September last year, I found it difficult to accept it. We would visit him at home and he would walk down and up the stairs for meetings, a sign that he was a strong man,” said Mrs Nyemba.

A director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr Vusumuzi Ntonga described Ambassador Mothobi as an experienced diplomat who worked hard for his country.

“He was one of the pioneer civil servants in the early 80s and worked in different ministries. When he joined the Foreign Affairs Ministry, he had vast experience in the running of Government ministries and many learnt a lot from him.

“Even after he had resigned from diplomatic service, we still called him to assist us and he was always willing to help,” said Mr Ntonga.

Ambassador Mothobi’s brother, Mr Albert Mnkandla, said his brother was the family’s pillar of strength and they were still trying to come to terms with their loss.

“We all depended on him for advice and assistance in everything as a family. Unfortunately nobody will fill the void that he has left. We still can’t believe that he’s gone.

“The good thing is that he died after he had educated all his children, who now have their own homes,” said Mr Mnkandla.

Ambassador Mothobi was born on August 22 in 1939 in Nyamandlovu District.

He was Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Japan and the Republic of Korea from 1994 to 1998.

Before his appointment as the deputy chairperson of PRAZ, he had chaired many boards including the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Zimre Property Investments and SFG Insurance among others.

He was a High Commissioner to Kenya and Uganda from 1998 to 2001.

At one time, he was the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements/Habitat.

Ambassador Mothobi was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Supplies from 1985 to 1987, Permanent Secretary for Labour, Manpower Planning and Social Welfare from 1984 to 1985 and Permanent Secretary for Transport from 1982 to 1984.

He was Research and Planning director in the Ministry of Manpower Planning and Development in 1980 and a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the then University of Rhodesia from 1976 to 1977.

He served as the executive chairman of the transitional State Procurement Board from December 2015 to December 2017.

He was pivotal in the development of the new Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act (Cap 22:12).

Ambassador Mothobi resigned from PRAZ in 2018 due to illness.

The late diplomat is survived by his wife Muriel, three children and two grand children.

— @pamelashumba1