ZIMBABWE’S longest serving Clerk of Parliament Austin Zvoma has died.
Zvoma (74), who served as Clerk of Parliament for 25 years, died on Saturday after a long battle with lung cancer.
Mourners are gathered at his farm in Norton.
He joined Parliament as a committee clerk and rose through the ranks until he was appointed Clerk of Parliament in 1989, a role that he served up to 2014.
“He has lost a long and terrible fight with lung cancer at Avenues Clinic. We had always hoped that he would improve, but he passed away yesterday (Saturday) around 11pm,” said family spokesperson and nephew Godwin Chigwedere.
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“He is survived by seven children. Some of them are out of the country and are still making arrangements to come for the funeral.”
Chigwedere said the family was waiting for the children who are abroad before burial arrangements could be announced.
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He told NewsDay that the death of his uncle was a great loss, not only to the Zvoma family, but the nation at large.
“It’s a loss that we are still trying to come to terms with. He left a gap that we will not be able to cover. Everyone who knew him can still testify to the man he was.
“He would go out of his way to do what was right and to help those in need. People looked up to him, not necessarily for financial benefit but for advice,” he said.
Chigwedere described Zvoma as “a grounded person, a genial human being, and someone who could deal with family conflicts in a very non-confrontational manner”.
“Since he left Parliament, he has been doing social jobs for the Anglican Church and chairing the church choir. He was an umbrella, not only for the Zvoma family, but for all the relatives that included me,” he said.
Zvoma’s successor Kennedy Chokuda, who worked with the late for 15 years, said the death of his former colleague was a great loss to the parliamentary community.
“It’s a sad loss for Parliament because he was a fountain of knowledge in terms of parliamentary issues due to his exposure. In the parliamentary community, he was a leading figure. I am sure the appropriate status will be given to him,” he said.
“We learned a lot from him. He was in charge of Parliament during the parliamentary reforms that we introduced around 2000. We introduced the committee systems, and the current budget process where committees go out to the public.”
Chokuda said Zvoma had a passion for football.
Zvoma studied at Chipashu Primary School in Mhondoro and moved to Fletcher High School in Gweru.
He then attended the University of Zimbabwe, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English.
He also obtained a Masters in Strategic Management from the University of Derby in the United Kingdom.
Zvoma was an avid musician, a hobby he picked up while teaching at Mazowe Boys High School, where he taught for some time before he joined the Customs and Excise Department, now Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
He played as a session musician with the Mbare Trio during his spare time, and he was a committed choir member of the All Souls Anglican Church in Mt Pleasant.
