President mourns loyal team player

Abigail Mawonde Herald Correspondent—
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday described the father of the Zimbabwean civil service, Dr Charles Utete, as a loyal and committed team player who never beat his drum as he played a pivotal role in the Africanisation of the country’s civil service.In his condolence message to the Utete family, President Mugabe, who is attending the African Union Summit in Rwanda, said the country lost a dedicated cadre. “I learnt with a deep sense of shock of the sudden death of Dr Charles Utete, the first black Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister and Cabinet after our Independence in 1980. An intellectual of renown, Dr Utete was at the centre of the transformation of our civil service from what it was at Independence, ensuring its rapid Africanisation but without compromising on systems, efficiency and best practices,” President Mugabe said.

Dr Utete’s role, he said, was no small task.

“This was no small task given the entrenched white Rhodesian ethos which had made the civil service a key lever of settler rule, black discrimination and oppression. Given his prior association with the liberation movement and vast knowledge in the tenets of public administration, we did not hesistate to appoint him to this key post which he discharged with distinction,” added President Mugabe.

He said Dr Utete was at the centre of service delivery.

“He was at the centre of service delivery always coordinating the drafting of policy initiatives which saw Government record key milestones, including reconciling a war torn society, rehabilitating and re-intergrating thousands of war displaced, as well as embarking on successive programmes of socio-economic transformation that underpined our espousal and commitment to majority rule,” said President Mugabe.

Dr Utete rose to the occasion again with the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987 and the subsequent constitutional changes that ushered in Executive Presidency in 1988.

“Dr Utete characteristically rose to the occasion, again playing a seminal role in readjusting the massive bureaucracy to the requirements and challenges implied by the new political and administrative situation. His load was made heavier by successive shifts in economic policies which followed as the country tried out various models of growth and social development.

“When we embarked on the Fast Track Land Reform Programme in 2000, Dr Utete found himself once again at the centre of even more taxing planning challenges which he managed admirably. A loyal committed team player, the late Utete’s services went far beyond the duties of a civil servant, readily making seminal inputs to key party policies which helped Zanu-PF deal with emerging issues and challenges. What I personally found admirable about him was his humility and self-effacement against such a lofty role and his multiple contributions. He never beat his drum,” said President Mugabe.

He said after ‘retiring’ Dr Utete was always on call and continued to execute assignments.

“It was the mark of a man who even after leaving Government in 2003, continued to accept and discharge assignments we continued to load on him in his “retirement”. Our nation will remember his service in heading a Commission which reviewed our Land Reform Programme after its fast-track phase had been completed. The findings of that Review Commission will remain a milestone on our overall Agrarian Policy, indeed a major statement and resource for similar programmes beyond our borders,” said President Mugabe.

He said Dr Utete’s invaluable advice right up to his demise would be sorely missed by all in Government.

“On behalf of the party Zanu-PF, the Government which he helped shape and which he saved whole heartedly, and on my own behalf, I wish to express my deepest heartfelt condolences to the Utete family, especially to Mrs Utete and the children who have lost such a loving and caring husband and father, respectively. We robbed them of much of what would have been family time, and for their unconditional forbearance, but we in Government are truly grateful for his service and loyalty. As they grieve over the untimely death demise of the late departed, may they derive solace and comfort in his having served his nation well and truly…May his dear soul rest in eternal peace.”