Dr Ndubiwa, the MAN

Vusumuzi Dube, Obituary
“AS they say life is but a stage, you do your best and thereafter leave the stage to others. I leave council services with a clear conscience and with a measure of satisfaction.”

These were the words said by the late former Bulawayo Town Clerk Dr Michael Ndubiwa on 25 February 1999 which was his last day in office before retiring from council services on 31 August 1999 at the age of 64.

Ironically, 21 years later, Dr Ndubiwa could be saying these very words from the peaceful corridors of his final resting place of Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo. With him, at this cemetery set aside for the city’s luminaries, are people like prominent politicians which include Zipra cadres Lookout Masuku and Thenjiwe Lesabe. On the civic front, water activist Arnold Payne comes to mind while iconic Adam Ndlovu is the most well-known sports personality who is laid to rest there. Indeed, he deserved to be allowed to rest among these heroes and heroines.

According to the Bulawayo City Council report of May 2015 on who qualifies to be buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery, “. . . person must have made an outstanding contribution to the well-being of the community as a whole in one or more of the fields of social activities, civic matters, education, religious leadership, business leadership, sport, charity, journalism, outstanding donations (in kind or cash) outstanding trade unionism leadership, invention which benefited the community as a whole and any other outstanding contribution as may be deemed appropriate from time to time.”

On Tuesday last week, the first black Town Clerk of the city of Bulawayo breathed his last at Mater Dei Hospital, where he had gone for his routine dialysis session. He had been in and out of hospital since last year suffering from kidney complications. As in his departing message when he left office number 106 at the Large City Hall, today he could be replacing the “council service” with “life service”.

Upon learning of his death numerous people have come out describing Dr Ndubiwa as a true visionary who led the city to become what it is today. Reverend Eustice Ginya of the African Methodist Episcopal Church which Dr Ndubiwa attended said they had lost a member who did not limit himself to a particular church location but carried himself as a member of the entire church location.

He revealed that as the AME church they had a lot of gratitude to the late former Town Clerk as he had a huge influence in the establishment and construction of their branches in the city.

“Dr Ndubiwa was a very active member of our church, he was actually born in this church. When you look at it, he was not resident to just one branch but resident to the entire church as a whole as he had a hand in the establishment and construction of all the branches dotted around the city.

As proof of the man he was, he now attended church at Nketa 6 where they are pushing to build a structure there, his goal was to be with them until this goal was completed. He left the bigger, established branches just to be with congregates in Nketa 6, that’s how generous he was,” said Rev Ginya.

He further revealed that Dr Ndubiwa, a family man, enjoyed working with children and the youths where on many occasions he would be part of the Sunday School singing and dancing with the children.
“For eight years, Dr Ndubiwa was the president of the lay organisation where he was active in the church’s drive.to build its membership,” said Rev Ginya.

Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura) chairperson Mr Winos Dube described Dr Ndubiwa as an astute leader who current Local Government professionals should emulate and take a chapter from his book of life.

“Dr Ndubiwa was a clear-minded individual and I do not remember at any time during his leadership where there were any corruption allegations levelled against him. As residents he ensured that we get the best possible service and his open-door policy was one to emulate. Therefore, I would like to say to the Ndubiwa family that it is not only them that have lost a true gentleman but the entire city is mourning with them,” said Mr Dube.

Zanu-PF Politburo member and former Bulawayo mayor Cde Joshua Malinga said Dr Ndubiwa was an astute administrator whose work as town clerk was spotlessly clean.

“He was a hard worker, very efficient and a man of his word. He was a pleasure to work with and will be missed by the Bulawayo community at large,” he said.

Cde Malinga said Dr Ndubiwa worked with several mayors. Former Ward One councillor Mohammed Esat said Dr Ndubiwa was a man of great personality who diligently served the city during his tenure.

“Mike Ndubiwa was a man of a great personality who will be missed by the people of Bulawayo for serving the city with diligence. During his time as town clerk, he set a good example as far as managing the city is concerned,” he said.

Mr Esat said during Dr Ndubiwa’s tenure, Bulawayo was rated the cleanest city in Africa.

“He was capable of running the city and when he took over during the period of transformation from white-rule to black majority-rule, he played a critical role in the economic growth of Bulawayo. When he was town clerk, the city developed and it was rated the cleanest city in Africa. He was also quite familiar with all departments in the council.

He was someone who was devoted to serving the community of Bulawayo. In fact, he was a hard-worker who would work late into the night or even during weekends.”

Mr Esat said Dr Ndubiwa played a significant role in terms of addressing Bulawayo’s water challenges through the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Trust.

“He was a humanitarian who cared a lot about his community and continued to participate in the economic growth of Bulawayo even after his retirement,” he said.

Former Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni said the loss of Dr Ndubiwa was a huge loss to the Local Government sector, which he noted as being in permanent turmoil and sustained collapse.

“Our councils were well run by such fine professionals — this is the way they must be run again. Succession in Zimbabwe’s public sector is a ‘grab-and-go’ exercise — not much of his pedigree was shared with successors countrywide. Sadly, future council executives will now only learn from those who have bled the life out of our municipalities. Our sympathies to the Ndubiwa family, the City of Bulawayo on the loss of a premium citizen,” said the former Harare mayor.

Dr Ndubiwa was also credited for the city’s survival through shrewd management particularly during the trying times before the 1987 Unity Accord between Zanu- PF and PF-Zapu when the local authority was then the only one being run by an opposition party.

Born in 1934 in Inyathi, Bubi District in Matabeleland North, Dr Ndubiwa did his primary education in Lower Gweru and came to Mzilikazi High School in Bulawayo for his secondary education between 1945-1952.

Dr Ndubiwa joined Bulawayo City Council (BCC) in 1963 as an administrative assistant (finance) in the City’s Housing and Amenities department.

He left the council in 1964 and returned to the Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland university to study for a Bachelor of Arts in Administration Degree which he completed in 1967. During his vacations he worked as a temporary administrative assistant before re-joining the council on January 22, 1968 as an administrative assistant in the council’s Housing and Amenities department.

Between 1975 and 1978, Dr Ndubiwa became the senior administrative officer in the Department of Housing and Community Services. He rose through the ranks to deputy town clerk in 1979 and subsequently took over as the city’s first black town clerk in September 1984, taking over from Mr Ian Edmeades. He was the first black person to qualify for a diploma in the Institute of Town Clerks of Southern Africa.

The late former Bulawayo deputy mayor and outspoken politician Alderman Charles Mpofu who was also one of Dr Ndubiwa’s fiercest critics, once described the late former Local Government administrator as “the best town clerk in the country” upon his retirement.

It is therefore, prudent that as we honour the life of Dr Ndubiwa, councillors, council officials and residents not to just take a chapter from his book but the entire book of his life for the city to continue on its growth trajectory.

Dr Ndubiwa, a family man, left behind his wife Lydia, four children, eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Rest in Peace Dr Ndubiwa!