Online Reporter
Good morning, everyone.
We are coming to you live from the National Heroes Acre in Harare, where national hero Dr Sydney Gata, the esteemed ZESA executive chairman, will be buried.
Dr Gata passed away on 3 July, 2025.
President Mnangagwa will preside over this poignant ceremony, honouring a man who has been a pillar of strength and a dedicated advocate for national development.
Following a heartfelt church service at his farm in Chipinge and a final farewell at the ZESA Training Centre yesterday, family, colleagues, and dignitaries have gathered to pay their respects.
Join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr Gata, a national hero whose contributions will be remembered for generations to come.
Our Reporters Harmony Agere and Wallace Ruzvidzo, as well as Photographers Kuda Hunda and Wilson Kakurira will provide live updates.
The engineer who became the national figure
Dr Sydney Zikuzo Gata, Zimbabwe’s first black general manager of the Electricity Supply Commission (ESC), passed away on 3 July 2025 at the age of 79 following a short illness.
Over more than four decades, he became a towering figure in Zimbabwe’s energy landscape.
Early life and academic pursuits
Born in 1948 in Marondera (then Marandellas), Dr Gata completed his ‘A’ levels locally before studying science at the University of Guelph, Canada.
He lectured in mechanical and aeronautical engineering in London from 1976 to 1981 at Chelsea College and City University before returning to Zimbabwe to lecture at the University of Zimbabwe.
Pioneering leadership at ESC and ZESA
In 1981, at the age of 33, Dr Gata became the first black general manager of the ESC.
He spearheaded its transformation into the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), unifying six entities into a single national utility.
His vision drove massive infrastructure projects, including Hwange Power Station Stages One and Two, the 330 kV transmission network, urban and rural electrification programmes, and the establishment of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).
Ascending to CEO and board member roles at ZESA in the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, he later became ZESA executive chairman from 2001 to 2006, and again from 2019 until his death.
Regional impact and global recognition
Dr Gata extended his influence internationally, serving on the World Energy Council board (1992–94) and acting as deputy chair of its studies committee.
He also advised the African Development Bank and Integrated Energy Systems in the UK.
Dr Gata the family man
Dr Sydney Gata leaves behind his wife, the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Honourable Angeline Gata, along with children and grandchildren.
People from all walks of life have come out in their numbers for Dr Gata’s burial.
Service Chiefs are at the National Heroes Acre to pay their respects to the national hero.
Dr Gata’s body arrives at National Heroes Acre amid emotional farewell
The body of the national hero has arrived at the National Heroes Acre where hundreds of mourners have gathered to bid farewell to one of Zimbabwe’s most influential engineers and public servants.
The solemn proceedings marks the final journey of a man whose work transformed Zimbabwe’s electricity sector and extended influence across the SADC region.
Senior Government officials, Cabinet Ministers, Service Chiefs, diplomats, ZESA employees and regional energy experts are among the mourners who have filled the national shrine to capacity.
Many ZESA workers came in uniform, some in tears, paying tribute to the man who championed skills development and staff welfare throughout his decades-long career.
Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga and his wife, Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi-Chiwenga, are among the senior officials at the national shrine.
‘He was a champion for development’
Manicaland Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza said Dr Gata truly loved his country.
Dr Gata hailed from Chipinge, Manicaland.
“He championed several energy projects. He was a national figure who came up with brilliant ideas to ensure sustainable development in Manicaland Province,” said Minister Mugadza.
Politburo member, Cde Supa Mandiwanzira described Dr Gata as a nationalist.
“Dr Gata spearheaded several power generation projects across the country. He championed rural electrification across the country, in line with Vision 2030 and ensuring that no one and no place is left behind. We will greatly miss him,” said Cde Mandiwanzira.
Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Ezra Chadzamira said Dr Gata was a champion for development.
“We worked together in Masvingo to electrify several schools and hospitals, mainly in rural areas. He would always support such projects and offer his advice,” said Cde Chadzamira.
He said the nation has lost a patriotic cadre who was humble and down-to-earth.
President Mnangagwa arrives for burial
President Mnangagwa has now arrived to preside over the burial ceremony, accompanied by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Their arrival was preceded by that of Dr Gata’s body, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and his wife Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi, Minister of Defence and Zanu PF Chairman Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, and Service Chiefs, among others.
Cabinet Ministers, Zanu PF Politburo and Central Committee members and other senior Government officials are also in attendance.
The Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Kazembe Kazembe is leading proceedings.
He taught us to be patriotic: Dr Gata’s son
Mr Henry Takudzwa Gata, the late Dr Gata’s son, takes to the podium to deliver his speech.
He thanked President Mnangagwa and the Government for according his father national hero status.
Mr Gata said Dr Gata taught his children to stand firm and work hard towards the development of the country.
Minister Kazembe is now inviting the guest of honour, President Mnangagwa, to address the mourners.
President Mnangagwa pays tribute to Dr Sydney Gata
President Mnangagwa has now taken to the dais.
He began his remarks by conveying his condolences to the Gata family.
“I express deep and heartfelt condolences to the Gata family, particularly his spouse Honourable Angeline Gata and children, over this painful loss.
“Today we gather at this sacred place where we lay to rest the luminaries of our great motherland land Zimbabwe.
“Over the years, a new breed of heroes continues to be honoured. This was the mold of the late Engineer Sydney Zikuzo Gata, whom we lay to rest today,” said the President.
Dr Gata’s death, said President Mnangagwa, is not only a loss to the country’s energy sector but to the entire region.
The President encouraged the nation to emulate the patriotism and commitment to duty that was exhibited by Dr Gata.
“I challenge you all to be inspired by patriots like Dr Gata. He was a guru in the engineering and energy landscape,” he said.
“National unity and social cohesion must always be promoted and protected by all of us,” said President Mnangagwa.
The President then chronicled Dr Gata’s career, which included stints in Botswana, Canada and the United Kingdom.
He later lectured at the University of Zimbabwe.
“He was a trailblazer,” said President Mnangagwa.
President hands over national flag to Amai Gata: Here’s what the tradition means
In an emotional moment, President Mnangagwa, as per tradition, handed over the national flag to the late national hero and ZESA Executive Chairman, Dr Sydney Gata’s widow, Honourable Angeline Gata.
The gesture, steeped in symbolism and tradition, signified the nation’s deepest appreciation for Dr Gata’s lifetime of service.
As Amai Gata, who is also the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, received the flag from the Head of State, mourners stood in silent reverence, recognising a tradition that embodies honour, gratitude and unity.
In Zimbabwe, the act of handing over the national flag to a family member at a hero’s burial goes far beyond formality.
It serves as an official acknowledgement of heroic service, under the National Heroes Act, reserved for citizens whose work has profoundly advanced the nation.
The flag, previously draped over his casket, becomes a personal token of national gratitude, a tangible symbol of how the person’s service touched millions.
Mirroring military and state traditions around the world, the ritual marks the hand-over of legacy from the public to the private, from the State to the family.
Ultimately, the moment President Mnangagwa handed the flag to Mai Gata was a public expression of mourning and pride, linking the loss of a national hero to the enduring spirit of a nation that remembers, respects, and never forgets.
National hero Dr Gata laid to rest
Honourable Angeline Gata lays a wreath on Dr Gata’s grave
