By A Correspondent-What was meant to be a solemn farewell for Alice Pote, the late business dynamo and close associate of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, exploded into an opulent, high-powered send-off that felt more like a mini-rally-meets-carnival than a burial.

Pote, just 33 when she died last Monday from acute respiratory failure and a pulmonary embolism, was laid to rest Friday in her rural home of Chivi, Masvingo Province.

But if anyone expected quiet mourning, they were met instead by a spectacular showcase of wealth, political muscle, and indulgent feasting — a dramatic tribute to a woman who lived large and rose fast.

The burial drew mourners from all corners of Zimbabwe and beyond, including a delegation from Dubai, temporarily shutting down business activity in Zvishavane and parts of Masvingo as thousands flooded the small district to honour her.

A director of Pote Holdings and owner of Stallion Cruise Bus Company, Alice was not only the younger sister of tycoon Anthony Clever Pote, she was a symbol of fearless ambition in a man’s world.

The Pote family spared no expense to honour her legacy.

In a scene that could rival a royal feast, 10 cattle, 50 pigs, and 500 chickens were slaughtered, feeding multitudes as music, laughter, and praise-songs rang out beneath the summer sky. Many called it “a celebration befitting a queen of enterprise.”

“She was a lioness,” one mourner declared. “She didn’t wait for doors to open — she kicked them down.”

Alice was remembered as a trailblazer who stormed the male-dominated transport industry, turning her Stallion Cruise brand into a household name.

She broke stereotypes, mentored many, and carried the hopes of rural girls aspiring to take their place in boardrooms and bus depots alike.

ZANU PF heavyweights, government officials, and influential business figures thronged the event some whispering that the scale of the funeral was also a demonstration of political and financial clout by the Pote empire, which has grown visibly close to the Mnangagwa establishment.

Though tears were shed, it was the spectacle — the glitz, the power, the narrative of triumph cut short — that lingered in the minds of many.

Alice Pote may be gone, but her send-off was nothing short of legendary.