HARARE – The declaration of Sydney Gata, former Executive Chairperson of ZESA Holdings, as a national hero on Saturday has ignited fierce criticism in Zimbabwe, with observers questioning the justification for the honor given his controversial tenure at the national power utility.
Gata, 79, passed away in Harare on Thursday after a short illness and is scheduled to be buried at the National Heroes Acre on Wednesday.
State media reports have highlighted Gata’s role as the first black General Manager of the Electricity Supply Company in 1981 and his subsequent tenures at ZESA, where he oversaw major infrastructure projects, including phases of the Hwange Power Station and the development of the national transmission system.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, in his condolence message, described Gata as a “committed patriot,” “brilliant engineer,” and “visionary leader” whose work transformed Zimbabwe’s energy landscape.
But prominent investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has described the declaration as “a tragic joke,” asserting that it undermined the integrity of the national hero status by rewarding politically connected individuals over those who have provided selfless service.
Chin’ono highlighted that Gata’s reappointments were perceived as a result of political loyalty and family connections rather than competence.
He pointed to Gata’s marriage to Robert Mugabe’s sister, Regina, and later, after their divorce in 2022, to Angeline Mayahle, a deputy minister and Zanu-PF MP in President Mnangagwa’s government, whose sister, Moline, is reportedly a close friend of the President.
“It is laughable that Dr Sydney Gata has been declared a national hero, a tragic joke that makes our nation a laughing stock,” Chin’ono stated.
“Gata’s legacy is overshadowed by corruption, nepotism and mismanagement during his time at Zimbabwe’s power company, ZESA.
“His reappointments were a reward for political loyalty and family connections rather than competence, made possible through close social ties to President Mnangagwa and, before that, President Robert Mugabe’s family.”
Chin’ono stated that Gata’s tenure was repeatedly marked by controversy over corporate governance failures, with allegations that he personally benefited while the nation suffered crippling blackouts and mismanagement.
He cited multiple parliamentary portfolio committee reports from the 2000s that highlighted governance failures under Gata’s leadership.
Chin’ono further noted that Gata was once fired under the Government of National Unity (GNU) for mismanagement, and his subsequent reappointment despite these failures was criticised by energy experts and civil society groups as “blatant cronyism.”
“A man who kept the lights on for the powerful while the nation sat in darkness is no hero, he is the reason we stayed in the dark,” Chin’ono stated.
“You cannot call a man a hero when his legacy is power cuts for the people and power deals for the elites.”
He suggested that the corporate sector and political elites would attend the burial in large numbers due to what he termed their “equally corrupt and rotten” nature, worshipping money and adhering to the directives of the Zanu-PF leader.
Posting on his X handle, Advocate Thabani Mpofu, a known Zanu-PF critic, urged Zimbabweans to reflect on the meaning of a hero, questioning what response he would give his children when asked about Gata’s contributions to warrant such an honor.
Advocate Mpofu stated: “Zimbabweans please be well behaved. You bashed this man so hard online, the decision makers now think the punishment he took is no different to that inflicted on people who fought the liberation struggle.
“What will I say to my children when they ask me, (1) What a hero is and (2) What Gata did to be named and declared one?” he asked.
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