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The late William Bango

Harare Bureau
veteran journalist and former MDC-T director for policy implementation, William Bango, who died on Tuesday from injuries sustained when he was involved in an accident near Dema Growth Point along the Chitungwiza-Wedza Road will be buried today.The body of Bango, 62, popularly known by his totem, Nungu, left Harare for his rural homestead in Sengwe village under Chikomba West yesterday, where it lay in state before burial today at 11am.

Addressing mourners at Bango’s Marlbrough residence yesterday, MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai described him as an individual with unyielding loyalty.

“We were close since the 1980s when we were both trade unionists before he joined in 2002 when he was my spokesperson.  He helped in authoring my printed autobiography and another which he was still authoring. I appreciate how it feels to lose a loved one in an accident which his wife should do as well,”  Tsvangirai said.

Zimbabwe Union of Journalists president Michael Chideme said his death is a huge loss to the journalism fraternity.

“He was known for his role as a mentor of the present day editors and journalists. He was a repository of knowledge. He will be sadly missed by progressive journalists.
“We commiserate with the family in this trying time,” he said.

Bango joined The Herald soon after independence as a cadet reporter and worked on the newspaper for several years and later moved into other areas of journalism before joining politics.

He also served as the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists secretary-general and president. He is survived by his wife Charity, four children and several grandchildren.