ALPHA Media Holdings (AMH) board member and top lawyer Sternford Moyo, who died in Harare yesterday, has been described as a giant who was a champion of justice.
In his eulogy, AMH Editorial Advisory Board of Trustees chairman Muchadeyi Ashton Masunda described Moyo as a giant, not only physically and intellectually, but also in terms of the immense and indelible footprint that he has left as an eminent jurist.
“Only on Monday June 24, 2024, I had occasion to discuss with him and set in motion the process for him to accomplish his fervent desire to spread his horizons by joining the growing pool of the ‘worshipful company of honourable commercial and sports arbitrators and mediators’ that has been painstakingly nurtured by the Commercial Arbitration Centre since inception on July 1, 1995.
“In addition to my involvement with him in the legal profession and the corporate governance trenches for over 40 years, we shared a common alma mater in that we are products of Mzilikazi High School, which was the first school in Zimbabwe to be built from the profits that were generated by Ingwebu Breweries, the sorghum beer commercial undertaking of the well-run City of Bulawayo.
“My heartfelt condolences go to his entire family especially his widow, Mrs Sara Nyaradzo Moyo (née Mukonoweshuro), a fellow legal practitioner and senior partner of Honey & Blanckenberg, a leading local firm of legal practitioners that was established in 1894,” he said.
Masunda described Moyo as a hard worker, which saw him sitting on a number of boards.
“It was on account of his professional integrity and proven track record of impeccable performance that he became a much sought-after non-executive director and/or chairman of boards of directors of a number of leading private, public and statutory corporations such as Alpha Media Holdings, Delta Corporation Limited, Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe Limited and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, among others.”
A colleague, Mordecai Mahlangu, told NewsDay Weekender yesterday that he was shocked about the untimely death of Moyo.
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“I knew that he was unwell, but I did not realise that it was that bad and it would end this way.
“He was a very close colleague. I am shocked and sorry to his family, wife, Sarah and children,” the top lawyer said.
Mahlangu worked with Moyo when he was the president of the Law Society of Zimbabwe, tackling issues of human rights and government clampdown on freedom of speech and association during the late former President Robert Mugabe’s era.
Law lecturer Fadzayi Mahere said the legal profession was “poorer” without Moyo’s leadership.
“I am very sad to learn of the passing on of renowned lawyer, Sternford Moyo. He was a luminary of Zimbabwe’s legal profession — outstanding in litigation, corporate law, mining law and general practice.
“Unafraid to speak truth to power, he modelled old school, traditional lawyering which has become increasingly rare today. He nurtured and mentored many lawyers, some of whom have become judges and icons in their own right.
“The last time we appeared on the same side in a case before the Supreme Court, he displayed his usual adeptness that made our side’s job so much easier. He readily gave one a pat on the back when one did well and was equally ready to call nonsense out,” she said.
Advocate Thabani Mpofu said the legal community had lost a true and dedicated champion of justice.
“Moyo was more than just a fellow lawyer; he was a mentor and example of professionalism and integrity. His efforts over the years to defend the course of law and rule of law will leave a lasting impact on countless lives. We shall miss his dedication to duty.
“My prayer goes to his wife, family, law firm and the people of Zimbabwe in this difficult moment,” he said.
Moyo was the chairman and senior partner of Scanlen & Holderness and a former president of the Sadc Lawyers Association.
He is the immediate past president of the International Bar Association and the first person of African descent to hold that position.
