Joseph James buried

THOUSANDS of people from all walks of life yesterday thronged Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo to pay their last respects to prominent lawyer and former Sports and Recreation Commission chairman Joseph “Jumbo” James.

James, a partner at Moyo-Majwabu and Nyoni Legal Practitioners, passed away last Sunday after a six month battle with cancer.

James(59) was buried at Lady Stanley following a service at Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Parklands yesterday morning.

Members of the law fraternity and sporting world were united in mourning James whom most described as a humble, hard working and honest person.

Because of his passion for the “most beautiful game” James’ relatives placed two football jerseys inscribed with his beloved Number Six, and a soccer ball on his coffin, before it was lowered to his final resting place.

Mourners included close friend and Zimpapers board chairperson Delma Lupepe, former Education Minister David Coltart, former Constitutional Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga, SRC director-general Charles Nhemachena, Judge president Justice George Chiweshe, Harare High Court judge Justice Nicholas Mathonsi, MDC president Welshman Ncube, lawyer and Zifa board member Tavengwa Hara, lawyer Sheperd Huni, former Bulawayo province chairman Horace Ndubiwa and Highlanders Football Club legends, Johannes Tshuma and Simba Rusike, among others.

Coltart, who appointed James as SRC chairperson described him as an inclusive person who always gave the benefit of the doubt to people as well as a deeply committed person who always had the lesser privileged at heart.

“When I set up the Bulawayo Legal Projects Centre he was one of the people who supported the idea and was committed to the cause. And he kept the commitment for over 30 years and when I got the opportunity to appoint the SRC board I did not hesitate to include him as he had great passion for sport, integrity and competence,’’ said Coltart.

“He was determined, courageous and we needed someone like him who would not be corrupt or swayed by corruption. He loved this Bulawayo and fought to have the hockey stadium built here and when we decided the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games would be hosted in Bulawayo he played a role to ensure they were a success,” he said.

Lupepe described James as a walking football encyclopedia who thrived on hard work in his legal profession. “He believed in thorough preparation in handling a case. Other lawyers neglected this critical aspect. He was open, humourous, humble and a dedicated family man who always emphasised on the importance of education,’’ said Lupepe.

“Although initially when we crossed paths it was because we seemed to be going after the same, we later grew to be close friends and considered each other to be brothers. Despite our differences our friendship never suffered, while he supported Nottingham Forest and sympathised with Arsenal, I am a Chelsea fan and he had a penchant for simple cars despite my insistence he buys a flashy one.

“I was struck by one incident when we came across a vagabond in town and James warmly greeted him and struck up a conversation before giving the man $20,” said Lupepe.

Nhemachena, who worked with him at the SRC, said James was a true professional, principled, firm but fair and a very humble person.

“He was able to command respect from all those we worked with because he did not come out as the boss but rather as a brother, friend, colleague and a mentor. James was also very knowledgeable in both sport and the legal profession hence his appoint to the Africa Union Sports council Region 5 constitutional review committee.

“His legacy will endure because he managed to mentor a lot of people and that is why you see people from all walks of life here,” he said.

James is a former president of the Law Society of Zimbabwe and chairman of the Sports and Recreation Commission of Zimbabwe.

He was named the Human Rights Lawyer of the Year in 2012.

He had also been a trustee of the Legal Resource Foundation (LRF) since 2008 and at the time of his death he was the chairperson of the Board of Trustees.

James is survived by his wife, Isabel and four children.