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SUNDAY News Editor Paul Mambo was laid to rest at his Mpande homestead in Beitbridge District yesterday. Mambo succumbed to meningitis on Saturday evening at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo. He was 46. Speaker after speaker showered Mambo with praises for being a humble person and a unifier.
Zimpapers Chief Operations Officer and Editor-in-Chief Mr Pikirayi Deketeke said Mambo’s loss was not only to his family but also to the company that he served for 19 years with distinction.
Dekekete led the Zimpapers entourage that included editors and reporters from all newspapers in the stable as well as workers from different departments such as advertising, technical, transport and circulation.
He comforted the Mambo family saying: “When God created us, he declared that one day dust will return to the dust.”
He also promised that Zimpapers will always be there for Mambo’s family whenever the need arises.
“When you need company assistance, we are there and we will always be ready to assist where we can,” said Deketeke.
Former High Court Judge, Justice Nicholas Ndou, who is the patron of the Beitbridge Burial Society in Bulawayo where Mambo was vice-chairman, said Mambo was a witty character who also had rare leadership qualities.
“We formed our association in 2007 and he joined us in 2010. We made him vice-chairman because of his dedication and leadership qualities. He was also a witty character who made our meetings enjoyable all the time. His passing on has robbed us of a gallant member and organiser.”
Mambo’s uncle, Mr Kopano Jonathan Makwayiba said they had lost a humble nephew. He however could not continue with his speech as he broke down and only managed to ask for prayers to help the family get over the tragic loss.
Mambo’s niece, Delta Ndou described her uncle as a man who lived by his convictions.
“Paul Mambo lived by his convictions. He was a traditionalist and was never apologetic about it. He was reliable and not pretentious, what you saw is what you got,” said Ndou.
She said Mambo’s death was a tragedy not to his family alone but to everyone who knew him.
“His loss is not a personal tragedy, it is a collective calamity. A disaster to those who knew him and worse to those who never got a chance to know him,” said Ndou.
The local chief, Chief Sitaudze, said his community was touched by the support from across the country.
“We have here people from all places like Bulawayo and Harare. This shows that Paul was working well with others and we thank you all for coming here and sharing the loss with us from this area,” he said.
Mambo was born in Gwanda and attended Mpande Primary School in Beitbridge for his primary education.
He proceeded to Manama High School in Gwanda where he completed his secondary education before studying Journalism and Mass Communication at Harare Polytechnic.
Mambo was a teacher at Nuli Secondary School in Beitbridge from 1988 to 1989.
He joined Sunday News as a reporter in 1991 and in 1993 was promoted to senior reporter. In 1996, Mambo was promoted to news editor and in 2001 he moved to Chronicle as assistant editor.
He was promoted again to senior assistant editor in 2003 and later became the paper’s deputy editor.
Mambo was appointed Chronicle acting editor in 2005 before being moved to Mutare as editor of Manica Post.
In 2007 he was appointed Sunday News editor, a position he held until the time of his death.
He was also the chairman of Zimbabwe Association of Editors and former board member of Mutare Community Advisory Board.
Mambo is survived by a wife, Edith and four children.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo