Chronicle Business Editor dies in horror crash
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The late Chronicle Business Editor Mernat Mafirakurewa and the wreckage of the car he was driving when he collided head-on with a bus near Beatrice on Wednesday night

News Editor
CHRONICLE Business Editor Mernat Mafirakurewa has died in a road accident that injured his colleague and claimed the life of a passenger who was on a bus that crashed into his vehicle near Harare.He died on Wednesday night along the Masvingo- Harare highway when his vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a South Africa-bound bus.

He was 33.

Mafirakurewa died on the spot near Beatrice when a King Lion bus that was trying to overtake another vehicle allegedly encroached onto his lane, resulting in the crash.

A workmate he was travelling with on assignment to Harare, Sunday News Senior Business Reporter Roberta Katunga escaped with some injuries and is admitted at a private hospital in the capital.

Mafirakurewa and Katunga were on their way to attend the National Tourism Policy launch in Harare yesterday.

Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said Mafirakurewa’s vehicle and the bus overturned after the collision.

“The bus overturned. One passenger died on the spot. The bus had 70 passengers. The Honda Fit also overturned. The driver, that is Mernat Mafirakurewa died on the spot,” said Chief Superintendent Nyathi.

The police spokesperson said some of the injured were taken to Chitungwiza Hospital.

Mafirakurewa was trapped for some time and his body was retrieved by the Harare Fire Brigade.

Harare Fire Chief Officer Saviour Mugava said when they were on their way to the accident scene, they met three ambulances and on arrival all the injured had been taken to hospital.

“We removed his body. He was badly trapped,” added Mugava.

Chronicle Editor Mduduzi Mathuthu regretted Mafirakurewa’s death.

“Mafira was a kind and well-liked journalist who didn’t deserve the violent death that visited him,” said Mathuthu. “I have only known him since February this year, when he joined Chronicle from NewsDay as our Business Editor.  What struck me about Mernat was his deep sincerity and his unceasing self-drive to make our business pages the best”.

“In this endeavour, he personally inspired all his workmates to aim for a higher standard.  At a personal level, Mernat was a warm, friendly and easy-going guy who cared for his friends and was completely devoted to his young family.

I got to know, from our private conversations, about his plans to finish off a house he was building in Harare for his wife and three children, the youngest of whom was a three-month-old boy whom he said he would be christening ‘Mernat Junior.’”

The Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Eng Walter Mzembi yesterday instructed the ZTA to help in the funeral proceedings. Eng Mzembi spoke about the journalist’s death at the policy launch in Harare yesterday.

ZTA boss, Karikoga Kaseke said: “It is with great shock and deep sadness that we learn of the passing on of Mernat Mafirakurewa. We had invited him among other journalists, to attend the official launch of the National Tourism Policy, an event he never lived to witness.

“Over the years we had known him, he distinguished himself as a professional journalist who exhibited thorough knowledge of our sector and that was sincerely driven by his unparallelled passion for tourism.”

He wished Katunga a speedy recovery.

Chronicle Acting Editor Innocent Madonko  expressed shock and sadness at Mafirakurewa’s tragic death. He described him as an intelligent, hardworking, humble and dedicated journalist whose death had left a big void which would be difficult to fill.

“We are truly devastated by the loss of such a fine young man. By far he was one of the best desk editors in the newsroom and his death has robbed us of a brilliant journalist and fine gentleman.  Our hearts go out to his family, particularly his wife and children. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” he said.

Zimpapers Bulawayo branch General Manager Marks Shayamano said:  “The branch is deeply saddened by the untimely and tragic passing of Mernat Mafirakurewa who was a hardworking and brilliant business editor. The paper was looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with him to take the publication to greater heights.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the wife and family”.

Mafirakurewa joined the Sunday News in 2003 as a junior reporter after graduating with a Diploma in Mass Communication from BES College in Bulawayo. He left Zimpapers to pursue business interests in 2007 before rejoining the organisation in 2009 at the Chronicle as a sit-in correspondent on the business desk. In 2010 he joined Alpha Media Holdings as a senior reporter at NewsDay.

He was promoted to the position of acting business editor in 2012 before being appointed news editor last year. Mafirakurewa rejoined Chronicle as Business Editor in March this year.

Chronicle Managing Editor Isaac Waniwa said  in his three months of rejoining Chronicle, Mafirakurewa demonstrated that he was not just a desk editor but a team leader who was always ready to undertake work assigned to him within the shortest possible time.

“Mernat was a versatile, all-round journalist who made both our morning and evening conferences lively. He was an open-minded person who contributed to discussions on diary ideas coming from almost every desk. He stirred most of the brainstorming that characterised our conferences thereby enriching the final product,” said Waniwa.

“Mernat was that journalist who did not confine himself to just issues to do with the business desk that he was heading but was abreast with happenings in sports, entertainment and general news hence his contributions were vital in shaping the outcome of our stories on the various desks.”

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists said  journalism had been dealt a severe blow due to the death.

His relative Lloyd Mugwira said Mafirakurewa was devoted to his family as shown by how he toiled to ensure that they had a roof over their heads.

“He used to phone asking me for bus fare before he had a car saying ‘I have sunk all my salary into building the house’.
“He was dedicated to his project and his family. He was a team builder, a leader who has been snatched from us,” said Mugwira.

Mafirakurewa is survived by wife Samu and three children, two girls and a boy. Mourners are gathered at the family home at number 557 Rydale Ridge Park near Snake Park in Harare.

Family spokesman George Mafirakurewa said Mernat will be buried in Harare on a date to be announced in due course.

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