NECF boss Mushaninga mourned

Mr Mushaninga, who was also the board chairman for State-owned fixed telecommunications operator TelOne, died in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, of a heart attack last week while attending an international smart partnership dialogue. He was 48.

Mr Mushaninga was buried at Glen Forest in Harare on Sunday at a ceremony attended by Government officials, the business fraternity and many of his colleagues.
A number of messages of condolence were received from all over the world from many partnership hubs, which he used to work with.

“Mr Mushaninga was an energetic, dynamic and dedicated and true patriot who had passion for his work and put his country before anything else,” said Dr Sibanda in his condolence message.

“He will be truly missed by all those who interacted with him from the public sector, private sector, academia, labour and civil society.
“The loss is, therefore, not only to his family and the nation at large, but also to the global Smart Partnership Movement. We pray that the Lord may continue to comfort, heal and grant the Mushaninga family strength during this difficult time.”

Dr Sibanda said Mr Mushaninga worked for Government in the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Office of the President and Cabinet where he was initially deployed in the Scientific Liaison Office and as a director in the chief secretary’s office.

During his assignment in the Office of the Chief Secretary, Mr Mushaninga served as a key member of the World Solar Summit Secretariat, which reported to the Zimbabwe Organising Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary.

The summit chaired by President Mugabe was successfully held in Zimbabwe in 1996 and it raised awareness and global awareness in the importance of renewable energy.
Mr Mushaninga, said Dr Sibanda, was active in the formative stages of the NECF, which brought together Government and its social partners — business, labour, the academia and civil society — to deliberate on national policies and programmes.

Dr Sibanda said during the formation of the NECF, Mr Mushaninga showed an aptitude for handling policy-related issues, necessitating his promotion to the post of deputy executive secretary, a position equivalent to permanent secretary, which he held until his death.

As executive secretary, Mr Mushaninga was responsible for the effective and efficient operations of the NECF as well as the co-ordination of various taskforces to ensure private sector and other stakeholders input into policy formulation.

Among the key policies that this process contributed are the development policy, information communication technology policy, the small and medium enterprises policy and the science and technology policy.

At international level, the NECF smart development partnership hub co-ordinated Zimbabwe’s participation in International Smart Partnership Dialogues such as the Langkawi Dialogues in Malaysia and Southern international dialogues.

As head of the NECF, Mr Mushaninga was responsible for preparing briefs for President Mugabe on Zimbabwe’s participation in the dialogues.
He also represented Zimbabwe in the Joint Executive Group meetings of the CPMT Smart Partnership Movement.

He was also responsible for defending Zimbabwe’s access to international markets for products such as tobacco and asbestos through the national task teams on the World Health Organisation convention framework on tobacco control and the chrysolite negotiations.

It was also through Mr Mushaninga’s initiatives of the social partners within the NECF that the tripartite negotiating forum was established to further the dialogue between Government, business and labour. The NECF also acknowledged with thanks the support from President and Patron of the NECF President Mugabe and Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete who availed his personal physician to Mr Mushaninga.

Dr Sibanda also thanked the chairman of CPTM Tan Sri Datuk, Dr Omar Abdul Rahman, the chief executive and all smart partners as well as the Zimbabwe delegation to the Smart Partnership International Dialogue in Tanzania.

Mr Mushaninga is survived by his wife Barbara and three children.