President lauds Mphambela’s work ethic

Zvamaida Murwira, Senior Reporter

To that end, he said, he appointed a distinguished, intelligent and astute person as Permanent Secretary for the Ministry, who had demonstrated unflinching discipline and distinguished himself both in the private and public sectors.

President Mnangagwa said this yesterday at the Mphambela family residence in Westgate, Harare, where he had gone to pay his condolences following the death, in a road traffic accident, of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs, Mr Clive Mphambela on 27 July 2024.

“Under the Second Republic we do not forget our history, including challenges we went through in our history. After the 2023 harmonised elections, I upgraded the Department (of War Veterans) for it to be a fully-fledged and standalone ministry. So, I established this ministry that will take custody of our history, the challenges we went through as a country,” he said.

“On 10 October 2023, I promoted Mphambela to be Permanent Secretary of this new ministry. For that post, you are not just picked from a communal well, it would have been established, among others, beyond doubt that you are talented before you are elevated. So he is our hero who worked for our country, he was promoted to where he was because of hard work and he was dependable, but God had his plans.”

President Mnangagwa said Mr Mphambela had demonstrated unparalleled leadership, diligence and business astuteness during his illustrious career spanning 23 years in the banking sector.

“Clive was born on 27 July 1973. He was an associate member of the Institute of Bankers, full member of International Financial Markets Association, very few here in Zimbabwe attained that status. So, he had the education to develop our country. He worked in the banking sector for 23 years, a long stretch of service to his country. He had a comprehensive grasp of banking, he understood banking issues, he had top-notch knowledge on banking, specialising in private equity,” the President said.

“He became vice president and secretary general and chief arbiter of the Zimbabwe Chess Federation, a feat conferred on intelligent people. He became Advocate and Marketing Executive for the Bankers Association of Zimbabwe from 2013 to 2019, where he organised policy on Advocacy. He did great work before he left. I am sure those whom he has left will strive to emulate him because he was good in that area. He then joined the Government in 2019 as the chief director responsible for Communications and Advocacy in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development”.

“This is one of the ministries close to me as the President. The Ministries of Finance, Defence and Home Affairs are close to me, other ministries follow after these three. On November 1 2021, he was appointed to the Veterans Investment Board representing the Ministry of Finance, meaning the Ministry led by Professor Mthuli Ncube, huge as it is, selected him among all other staff members to represent it on the board, it means he was  intelligent and hardworking,” said President Mnangagwa.

He implored the family to accept that death was God’s plan despite how painful it was.

“No one among us; you might be a prophet, a President of a country, a great farmer, no one can delete what God would have written or planned. We need to accept what God would have done to an individual. We cannot challenge God, so we just accept what would have happened because no one, even myself knows his day. Everyone has got his day when he will be taken

He said the entire Government was saddened by the loss of Mr Mphambela.

“I was getting regular updates about his condition from the day the tragic accident occurred outside Chivhu on the Harare-Masvingo Road. I heard he was going to Masvingo on official duty. When I heard about the accident, we thought he would recover. On behalf of the Government, Public Service Commission, my family and on my own behalf we convey our condolences. You have lost a husband, father, uncle . . . we say may God the Almighty give him rest wherever he is. Everyone has got his time or day, no one can interfere with God’s plan in terms of one’s day of death,” said President Mnangagwa.

Family spokesperson, Mr Liberty Vhiriri, thanked the President and the Government for the efforts they made to save the life of Mr Mphambela when the accident occurred.

“We would like to thank you, Your Excellency, for coming to mourn with us. You left your work to come and commiserate with us. The team you sent tried everything that they could do to save Clive, including airlifting him from the accident scene, but his time had come according to God’s plan,” said Mr Vhiriri.

Several Permanent Secretaries led by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Martin Rushwaya, attended the funeral wake.

Mr Mphambela was buried yesterday afternoon at Glen Forest cemetery in Harare. He is survived by wife, Rufaro Loveness Mphambela and three children.