ZESA executive chairman Sydney Gata, who died after a short illness on Thursday, has been declared a national hero.
The long-serving executive’s passing not only comes as the company has embarked on a process to re-bundle the power utility, but unveiled a number of key projects such as the USS350 million refurbishment of Hwange power station and where he was expected to play a crucial role along others.
Raphael Faranisi, the Home Affairs permanent secretary, has confirmed the decision to the Zimbabwean media and said Gata will be buried at the national heroes’ acre on Wednesday.
While Zesa has led tributes to a “distinguished energy and infrastructural development specialist”, his Mutapa Investment Fund (Mutapa) boss John Mangudya has also saluted the trailblazing engineer’s “dedication to duty, innovation and leadership skills, which helped to transform, and drive the organisation through some of its most difficult times”.
Appointed as the then Electricity Supply Commission’s first black general manager in 1981, Gata’s on and off career with Zesa spanned 40 years and a period in which he led several initiatives, including the initial unbundling of the parastatal, launch of its Cell Insurance scheme, Powertel Communications and Rural Electrification Fund.
A forthright man and pioneering technocrat, the late nationalist worked at the Mutapa-owned firm in various capacities after being hired, and fired by several Mugabe-era ministers, whom he would clash with on many policy fronts and strategy issues.
Gata is survived by his wife Angeline — the deputy Primary and Secondary Education minister — children and grandchildren.
Apart from lecturing in England and at the University of Zimbabwe in the early 80’s, Gata also served as an African Development Bank and World Energy Council board member at some point.