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CHRA mourns Professor John Makumbe: A man of the people
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
January 28, 2013

The Board, Staff and Membership of the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) would like to join the Makumbe family, all progressive civil society organizations and the nation at large at the untimely passing on of Professor John Makumbe. We acknowledge that the nation has been robbed of an astute, sound and progressive academic who dedicated his life to the development of Zimbabwe. Indeed Prof J, Makumbe was a champion of good governance, human rights and foot soldier who fought for the rights of the marginalized especially the albino community. Throughout his entire life, he made great strides in advocating for the realization of a better Zimbabwe and good leadership that respected the will of the people.

No Zimbabwean history can be written without mentioning John Makumbe. He has been very vocal when it came to issues of leadership renewal at all levels of governance a position which Zimbabwean civil society has always advocated for. At the time of his death, Professor John Makumbe was the chairmen of Munhondo Trust, a shareholder of the Zimbabwean newspaper and was also a columnist. Each and every week he wrote articles that mirrored against the people's position and the Zimbabwean newspaper will never be the same again without his weekly contributions. He was the man behind the civil society-Zimbabwean collaboration which saw many organizations further distributing old copies of the newspaper for free to their respective members in an effort to ease the challenges of access to information.

His death exposes the anomaly in the country pertaining national heroes accreditation which has become a ZANU PF affair because under a normal arrangement, he deserves to be declared a national hero due to his immense political, academic and social contributions. He will be greatly missed by many for he was a person who always brought a balance to national political discourse and can safely be confirmed as a former centre for political discourse enquiry.

He is survived by wife Virginia and three children. Mourners are gathered at house number 12 Ashburton Avenue, Msasa Park. Burial arrangements are yet to be made.

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