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the country’s legal panorama. George Charles Chikumbirike, my learned colleague, passed on peacefully at St Annes Hospital after a short illness on Wednesday evening.
He was 56.

It is painful to think that George is no more. Death is cruel. It has robbed us of brilliant and tenacious legal mind of all times. My first encounter with George Chikumbirike was in 1976 at the then University of Rhodesia where we both studied law in a class of about 38 students dominated by whites with a few coloureds and Indians.

The late Chikumbirike and I studied law in the same class with High Court judge Justice Anne-Mary Gowora, Justice Moses Chinhengo (who is now Judge President in Francistown, Botswana), the late Justice Ishmael Chatikobo, Michael Chingore, Jacqueline Pratt, Timothy Chiganze and Daniel Matawu, (Gweru Town Clerk).

We all graduated with LLB in 1979. During the vacation most of the time the late Chikumbirike and myself used to work for a law firm known as Venturas and Travlos, which has since changed its name to Venturas and Samukange.

We became very close friends due to the fact that we used to spend most our time together. One of the students who became very close to us was Emmanuel Jinda who was studying Sociology. During vacations at times when time permitted we would visit our communal homes. The late Chikumbirike was a very difficulty person. He had very poor eyesight as a result he had numerous accidents. One of his characteristics was that he was very short tempered, very argumentative and none apologetic.

The late Chikumbirike, in the more than 37 years that I have known him he never and I never heard him apologise to anyone including myself, even where he was clearly wrong he would either blame his mouth for saying something he did not intend or blame my ears for hearing what he did not say.

I remember very well that even up to this year, when we were appearing before High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu, in a criminal case involving former Zimbabwe Mining Development directors.
My learned colleague was representing Mr Lovemore Kurotwi and I was appearing for Ms Gloria Mawarire and Mr John Tichaona Muhonde.

The State had decided to withdraw charges against my clients and Chikumbirike objected. I then objected to his objection and a heated argument ensued between us. I then requested him to withdraw the statement he had made and apologise to me. He refused and the judge had to intervene and requested him to withdraw his statement and apologise. Instead of apologising the late Chikumbirike went on for the next half and hour to try and explain until the whole courtroom got confused.

I never got my apology and I did not insist. All I just wanted was for him to sit down and not talk hence I did not pursue my argument that is the hallmark of the late Chikumbirike. Chikumbirike was an extremely intelligent gentleman and liked to discuss issues and events and he disliked talking about people.

I always found my discussions with him very stimulating. Apart from being intelligent he was a very hard working man and as a result he thrived on controversy. In addition, the late Chikumbirike was an individual and independent a very courageous and fearless fighter in court who really intimidated his opponents in court.

I genuinely believe that the legal fraternity and the judiciary have lost one of its best legal minds.
When he got married to Charity Murandu in the late eighties I was his best man. I will certainly miss him especially the fights, which I thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to.

George Chikumbirike was born on October 27, 1956 in Murehwa. He attended Murehwa Primary School and his high school at Murehwa Mission.

He then joined the Ministry of Justice as the magisterial assistant stationed in Bulawayo where he worked for the whole year and he resigned in the Ministry of Justice and joined Coghlan, Welsh and Guest legal practitioners as an assistant legal practitioner. He then resigned after three years and joined Chirunda, Chihambakwe and Parnters, as an assistant legal practitioner and was stationed in Masvingo where he worked for about six months and returned to Harare.

He became a partner in 1984 with Chirunda, Chihambakwe and Partners, which later became Chirunda, Chihambakwe and Chikumbirike and Partners. After some years they split and they all started their own legal practices with George opening Chikumbirike and Associates.

Chikumbirike has left a legacy that he considered the interests of his clients as paramount and he would fight to the bitter end to protect the interests of his clients. At the time of his death he was one of Zimbabwe’s finest and prominent legal practitioners and he has left a legacy in the legal fraternity. I say to George rest in peace, wait for me in the purgatory and I will come and collect you so that we can go to heaven together.

I don’t want you to go to heaven before me I want us to go together. I know patience is not one of your virtues but wait for me, but you have to wait for a long time because I am not in a hurry to join you. Rest in eternal peace.

• Mr Jonathan Samukange is a senior partner at Venturas and Samukange Legal Practitioners.