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Peter Matika, [email protected]

FORMER Clerk of Parliament, Austin Zvoma, has died. 

He was 74.

Zvoma died on Saturday evening at a hospital in Harare after suffering an undisclosed illness.

Current Clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda confirmed his death saying further information will be availed by the family.

“He passed away last night (Saturday) in hospital and had not been well for a while. I am not at liberty to say much and will await to receive information from his family,” said Mr Chokuda.

He said the late Zvoma started working at Parliament in 1979 as a committee clerk and rose through the ranks to be Clerk of Parliament.

“He was well versed in Parliamentary issues and duties. He was a fountain of knowledge and he will be sorely missed by all parliamentarians and organs. 

“He later joined the then Customs and Excise Department, now Zimra, before landing a job at the Parliament of Zimbabwe as a Committee Clerk. He rose through the ranks to become the Clerk of Parliament in 1989, a position he held until he retired in 2014,” said Mr Chokuda.

ZIMRA

He said the late Zvoma did his primary education at Chipashu Primary School in Mhondoro before moving to Fletcher High for his secondary education where he was also a sports captain.

He later enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English.

His son, Ian, mourned his father in a post on X (formerly Twitter):

“Rest in peace Chikonamombe. Our last conversation was about Liverpool and Manchester United. The one thing we never agreed on. You fought a good fight and the Zvoma clan will miss you dearly. They will remember the name AUSTIN Zvoma,” he posted.

The late Zvoma was also a holder of a Masters in Strategic Management from the University of Derby in the United Kingdom.

He was initially employed at Mazowe Boys High School, where he taught English and met the late Friday Mbirimi whom he played music with during their spare time.

On the social side, the former Clerk of Parliament loved music and would play as a session musician with the Mbare Trio during his spare time.

His love for music saw him become a committed choir member of the All-Souls Anglican Church in Mt Pleasant.