The Sunday News
Sandra Tekere, Sunday News Reporter
FORMER Bulawayo City Council senior electromechanical engineer Mr Hudson Hlabangana, one of the first black engineers in the country has died and was buried at his homestead in Hope Fountain yesterday.
Mr Hlabangana (68) died on Monday at Mater Dei Hospital where he had been admitted to after falling ill at his home in Kumalo suburb.
Family members said he succumbed to an uncommon condition which made his muscles weak and caused his respiratory system to fail.
Speaking on the sidelines of the burial, Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo said it was devastating that Bulawayo lost two men who were the backbone of the city in the same week. His death came a few days after the death of city Director of Housing, Isaiah Magagula.
“While we were still mourning the loss of Magagula another Bulawayo father who had the interests of the residents at heart Hlabangana passed on. Not only have the family members lost fathers but Bulawayo as a whole.”
Mr Hlabangana was born on 4 March 1949 in Esigodini. He went to various schools and worked at Mpopoma High and Gifford Secondary Schools as a laboratory technician. He then left for Botswana where he taught for sometime.
He left Botswana for the Soviet Union (Russian Federation) to further his education at Donetsk University where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering majoring in power stations.
In 1981 he returned home and joined the Bulawayo City Council where he was responsible for the maintenance of all electrical and mechanical equipment in all the city council water and sewer pumping stations. His work encompassed maintaining of all street lights, tower lights and traffic lights.
After serving for two years, he left the council to join Electricity Supply Commission, now Zesa Holdings where he worked for 24 years.
During his time at Zesa he was given a scholarship to further his education in Ireland and on his return was promoted to station manager in Hwange. In 2007 he retired from Zesa and worked for Mashava Mine as a resident engineer.
In 2011 Mr Hlabangana rejoined the Bulawayo City Council and retired from the local authority in 2014 to take on farming on a full time basis.
During a funeral service mourners described Mr Hlabangana as a man who was positive minded and a devoted Christian who showed compassion to the people. They said he was not not only a genius in his engineering profession but was also gifted in sporting activities such as athletics, chess, karate and golf. Mr Hlabangana is survived by wife, Nomakhosi Makhalima, four children and four grandchildren.
