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Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko

Freedom Mupanedemo, Midlands Bureau
VICE President Phelekezela Mphoko yesterday said the void created by the death of the principal director in his office, Mr Forbes Mbele, will be hard to fill.

Mr Mbele died last Saturday at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo at the age of 54.

Speaking at a memorial service at Mr Mbele’s home in Gweru yesterday, VP Mphoko described him as a quiet  and hard working man who was dedicated to his duty.

“He has left a void which will be hard to fill,” said VP Mphoko. “We have lost a very good man, quiet and hard working, but gone with his experience and expertise.”

Drawing a verse from the scriptures, VP Mphoko said death was inevitable after it was created in the Biblical land of Eden.

“Death came as a result of the sinning by Adam and Eve in Eden, hence we should mourn while knowing that we shall all face death one day,” he said.

“This is my condolence message to the family during these trying times.”

Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, yesterday sent a condolence message to the Mbele family.

“The Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Deputy Chief Secretaries, all senior management in the Office of the President and Cabinet, wish to convey heartfelt condolences to Mr Forbes Mbele’s family, relatives and friends following the untimely death of Mr Mbele, Principal Director in the office of Honourable Vice President, RP Mphoko on 14 October 2017 after a short illness,” said Dr Sibanda in a statement.

“We will certainly miss his buoyant personality, humility, forthrightness and principled stance in defence of professionalism, equity and fair play.”

Mr Mbele began his career as an administrative officer in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in 1987.

In 1998, he joined the office of the President and Cabinet as an assistant director in the Monitoring and Evaluation Department.

Between 2002 and 2006, he was a committee secretary in the Cabinet secretaries.

In 2007, he joined the Chief Secretary’s office as deputy director, and was thereafter promoted to the post of director in late Vice President John Landa Nkomo’s office in 2008.

He later worked as director in Cde Simon Khaya Moyo’s office.