ALPHA Media Holdings (AMH) chairman Trevor Ncube has called on the citizens to have their special way of honouring outstanding luminaries who excel in different fields, but are sidlined by the Zanu PF government when they die.
Ncube was speaking at the burial of AMH board member and prominent lawyer Sternford Moyo.
Moyo passed away on July 5.
Scores of mourners, among them judges, lawyers, business leaders and politicians, gathered at Glen Forest Memorial Park in Hatcliffe to bid farewell to one of the best lawyers to emerge in the country.
“Everyone here agrees that Sternford was a hero. He worked tirelessly for human rights and Press freedom. Why is his nation not honouring him?” Ncube asked.
“There should be a culture of national honour. Let’s honour our heroes. Let’s have our own way of honouring our own heroes apart from the [National] Heroes Acre.
“I have known Sternford for the past 34 years, first as my lawyer and then as an AMH board member.”
Moyo joined the AMH board in 2012.
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“He was passionate about human rights and freedom of expression. When my passport was taken, he stood with me. When my citizenship was taken and the government said I was Zambian because my father was born in Zambia, he also represented me,” Ncube said.
Law Society of Zimbabwe president Rumbidzai Matambo described Moyo as a giant in the legal field.
Moyo straddled across legal and business fields which saw him taking up board seats at reputable institutions such as AMH, Stanbic, Delta and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
International Bar Association (IBA) president Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama said Moyo was a past president of the association and the first of African descent, adding that he was a man “of great courage”.
“Sternford was a man of great courage and integrity and will be sorely missed by those who knew him,” he said on their website.
“The immense contribution that Sternford made to the IBA is impossible to sum up, but the number of senior roles he held and their breadth provide indication of the time, effort and commitment he gave to the IBA, including as council member; management board member; chair of the African Regional Forum and later advisory board member of the same; deputy secretary-general for Southern Africa; trustee of the IBA-established Southern Africa Litigation Centre; and trustee of the IBA-founded eyeWitness to Atrocities.
“Quiet and unassuming, Sternford’s legal prowess was also recognised by the United States Information Services, which selected him to participate in a programme to familiarise young African leaders with the American legal system and its background.
“We sadly pay tribute to the first IBA president of African lineage, who only recently celebrated being admitted in 2022 as a Freeman of the City of London in recognition of his devotion to the rule of law.”
