Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, Zimpapers Reporter
VETERAN businessman, former councillor and renowned mentor Alderman Mohammed Hassen Esat has been laid to rest at Athlone Cemetery on Monday.
He died on Sunday at the age of 80.
Ald Esat, one of the city’s most respected business figures, was widely recognised for his entrepreneurial success, civic leadership and commitment to mentoring young entrepreneurs.
He was at the helm of the family-owned HM Esat and Sons, popularly known as Esats Stores, a business that has maintained a retail presence in Bulawayo for more than a century and remains one of the city’s most recognisable enterprises.
Tenants operating from some of Ald Esat’s commercial properties remembered him as a fair and understanding landlord who genuinely cared about the success of small businesses.
Paying tribute to the late businessman, proportional representation councillor and businesswoman Ms Perseverance Nyathi described him as a visionary whose impact extended beyond the corporate world.
“The late businessman and Alderman, Mr Mohammed Hassen Esat, was renowned for his outstanding business acumen and entrepreneurial vision,” said Ms Nyathi.
“He was a visionary in the business community, he was very knowledgeable in business matters and exceptionally skilled. I learnt the importance of ploughing back into the community. He practised Corporate social responsibility by providing food hampers every Friday to the elderly and disadvantaged people of Bulawayo,” she said.
