Sydney Gata has passed away at age 79. The ZESA executive chairman went to a private hospital in Harare on Monday after complaining about chest pains. He died on Thursday night according to a family friend. The power company plans to release a statement on Friday. Gata had been running Zimbabwe's main electricity supplier until his death.
The engineer started his career teaching at several universities before making history. He became the first black general manager of the Electricity Supply Company back in 1981. The company later changed its name to ZESA and made him the chief executive from 1986 to 1991. He pushed for the construction of Hwange Power Station and built the main transmission system. His work helped connect Zimbabwe to neighboring countries through power lines.
Gata left ZESA in 1991 but came back as CEO in 2000. He became executive chairman three years later and broke up the company into smaller parts. Corruption charges forced him out in 2006 but he fought back with a lawsuit demanding more money. The government brought him back as executive chairman in November 2019 despite the earlier problems. President Mnangagwa suspended the entire ZESA board in 2020 for corruption but kept Gata in charge until he died.
The engineer started his career teaching at several universities before making history. He became the first black general manager of the Electricity Supply Company back in 1981. The company later changed its name to ZESA and made him the chief executive from 1986 to 1991. He pushed for the construction of Hwange Power Station and built the main transmission system. His work helped connect Zimbabwe to neighboring countries through power lines.
Gata left ZESA in 1991 but came back as CEO in 2000. He became executive chairman three years later and broke up the company into smaller parts. Corruption charges forced him out in 2006 but he fought back with a lawsuit demanding more money. The government brought him back as executive chairman in November 2019 despite the earlier problems. President Mnangagwa suspended the entire ZESA board in 2020 for corruption but kept Gata in charge until he died.
