‘SHE WAS MY EVERYTHING’ Pote mourns loss of sister

Patrick Chitumba, Zimpapers Writer

ZVISHAVANE businessman, Mr Anthony Clever Pote, said he was devastated by the passing on of his sister Ms Alice Pote, describing her as his “nuclear bomb” and admitting that he will “never be the same again” without her.
Giving an emotional eulogy at Ms Pote’s burial in Takavarasha, Marecha Village, Chivi District, Masvingo Province, Mr Pote described his sister as a powerful influence in his life whom he relied on for everything.

Mr Pote, owns Pote Holdings, where the late Ms Pote was financial director for 10 years.
She was also the founder of the popular Stallion Cruise Bus Company.

Ms Pote died last Monday of acute respiratory failure and pulmonary embolism.
She was the second last born in the family and left behind three children.

Ms Pote’s funeral was well attended, with mourners from all walks of life coming from across the country and abroad.
Among the mourners were Mr Patrick Mnangagwa, representing the First Family, Ministers of State for Midlands and Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Owen Ncube and Ezra Chadzamira, prominent farmer and businessman Mr Douglas Kwande of DCK Investments, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Sleiman Kwidini, Government officials, business community members and Members of Parliament.

“Alice has left us without saying goodbye. I am devastated. She was one of the directors of Pote Holdings, a pillar of strength. She has been behind the success of our business empire. She just left us at 33, very young and promising.

The post-mortem revealed that she died of acute respiratory failure and pulmonary embolism,” said Mr Pote.
He revealed that, with Ms Pote, they shared an unbreakable bond, making decisions together and never going a day without speaking.

He remembered her as a strong, selfless woman, a true empowerer, whose impact reached far beyond their family, changing lives across the community and the country.

Mr Pote also honoured her remarkable philanthropic legacy, such as paying school fees for both relatives and non-relatives, donating food hampers to the less fortunate and offering medical assistance to those in need.

“Alice was more than a sister, she was a pillar of strength, my nuclear bomb, a community builder and a shining example of compassion in action. Some people, who did not know her would ask if she was my wife because I always had her picture on my WhatsApp profile,” said Mr Pote.