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Rest in peace: Dr Eric Bloch was buried in a simple casket – Jewish tradition teaches that the deceased should be buried in a simple casket

Patrick Chitumba Senior Reporter
PROMINENT Bulawayo economic commentator Dr Eric Bloch was laid to rest at the Jewish Cemetery yesterday. Scores of people from all walks of life who included former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Dr Gideon Gono, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn leader Dr Simba Makoni, former Minister of Education, Sport and Culture, David Coltart, economic commentator John Robertson and Bulawayo mayor Councillor Martin Moyo and captains of industry thronged the Jewish Cemetery to pay their last respects to the celebrated economic commentator.

Dr Bloch was buried at around 11AM according to his Jewish customs next to his wife Baileh Thelma who died in July 2011.
Dr Gono said the late Dr Bloch was not just an economic commentator and a board member to many companies but also a trustee of several family trusts and a man of incredible humility with an upright conscience.

“Eric refused to accept skin colour as the basis of judging one’s character or abilities and I’m convinced that there’re many of you gathered here who have more eloquent testimonies to tell than I’ve been able to gather and witness over my 20 years of friendship with Eric,” he said.

Dr Gono said in Dr Bloch, he saw someone who loved Bulawayo and was also patriotic to his country.
“He would refuse to stay one day longer in Harare or anywhere else, believing that there was no better place on the planet than Bulawayo regardless of its water challenges. His dream was to have the Bulawayo water problems solved one day,” he said.

Clr Moyo said Dr Bloch might have been born in South Africa but when his family arrived in Bulawayo they adopted this place as their new found home and thereafter sought no other home.

Dr Bloch was born on April 2, 1939, in South Africa before he came to stay in Zimbabwe where he worked as an accountant.
He is survived by three sons, Raphi, 50, Mark, 48, and Barry, 46, a daughter Ruth, 42 and 16 grandchildren who live in Israel, the United Kingdom and Australia.