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family home in Marimba, Harare, to pay her condolences following the death of insurance guru Mr Paul Tangi Mhova Mkondo. Amai Mugabe also conveyed condolences on behalf of President Mugabe.
She said the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces was attending another meeting in Mutare.
The Indigenous Business Development Centre has since written to the Zanu-PF Harare Province requesting it to recommend to the Politburo that Mr Mkondo be accorded national hero status. Addressing mourners at Mr Mkondo’s home in Marimba Park, Amai Mugabe said she was saddened by Mr Mkondo’s death. Mr Mkondo was the chairman of Danhiko Project to which Amai Mugabe is the patron.
“I have never seen a person with such commitment and dedication,” she said.
“I worked with Mr Mkondo at Danhiko and I realised that he really meant it when he said ‘upenyu hwenyu idambudziko remoyo wangu’. His death is not only a loss to the Mkondo family but even to us at Danhiko. We will miss his exceptional contribution at our future meetings at Danhiko Project.”
Mr Mkondo, Amai Mugabe said, was a humble person and a hard worker who was committed to the development of his country even where there was no personal profit.
She said Mr Mkondo never complained all the time she worked with him and he remained resolute at a time when most people deserted Danhiko Project for the so-called greener pastures. At Danhiko, Amai Mugabe said, Mr Mkondo was a father figure.
She urged the Mkondo family to draw comfort from the legacy left by the now deceased. Amai Mugabe said President Mugabe was touched by Mr Mkondo’s death.
“He (President Mugabe) said we are together during this time of grief. The President said he is not around but we are together in mourning,” she said.
Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri also paid his condolences to the Mkondo family.
He said he knew Mr Mkondo around 1984 when the police wanted to build its own boarding school.
“I got to know Mr Mkondo at a personal level in 1984 when I was at Southerton. I stayed there for four years and we used to meet occasionally. Because of the nature of our job our children were being transferred frequently and that is when we decided to build our own boarding school. That is when we approached Mr Mkondo to assist us,” he said. Comm Gen Chihuri said due to Mr Mkondo’s brilliant work, the ZRP boarding school has grown to become one of the schools with the best results in the country.
He said Mr Mkondo never missed any developmental meeting at the school. Comm Gen Chihuri said the void left by Mr Mkondo would be difficult to fill.
Meanwhile, the IBDC has requested the conferment of national hero status on Mr Mkondo.
“IBDC, a black economic empowerment organisation representing all sectors of the economy and its current president Cde Ben Mucheche is requesting Harare province of Zanu-PF to recommend to the Politburo, the conferment of national hero status on Cde Paul Tangi Mhova Mkondo,” reads part of the statement from IBDC.
Mr Mkondo was born on December 23, 1945. He attained a diploma in Hotel Management from the City Guilds of London in 1967.
He was also a holder of a diploma in Business Studies with the University of Zimbabwe and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Keele, United Kingdom.
Mr Mkondo sat on various boards and was a member of the Life Underwriters Association of Zimbabwe among other portfolios.
Mr Mkondo will be buried tomorrow in Toma Village, Chief Svosve’s area in Hwedza.
Online Reporter