4 July 2025 – Harare
By A Correspondent | Sydney Zukuzo Gata, the controversial Executive Chairman of ZESA Holdings and brother-in-law to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has died.
His death was announced by Vemuganga Community Radio Station on Friday morning. Gata, a longtime fixture in Zimbabwe’s energy sector and a powerful political figure in the eastern Manicaland region, passed away after what sources say was a short illness.
Gata’s death has sparked mixed reactions across Zimbabwe. While state-affiliated voices hailed him as a tireless servant of Chipinge and the country at large, critics and political analysts are recalling his contentious rise to power — a career often marked by scandal, nepotism, and accusations of corruption.
Gata was appointed to lead ZESA Holdings by President Mnangagwa in a move that was widely criticized as politically motivated. In 2020, then Energy Minister Fortune Chasi attempted to dismiss him amid serious allegations of mismanagement, only for Mnangagwa to block the move — a decision that further entrenched Gata’s grip over the state electricity utility.
Prof Jonathan Moyo, a former ZANU PF minister, previously blasted Gata’s appointment, claiming it was part of a broader network of nepotism and polygamous ties within Zimbabwe’s ruling elite. In a tweet, Moyo described both Mnangagwa and Gata as “notorious polygamists” married to sisters from Chipinge’s Mutema communal lands.
Gata was married to Deputy Education Minister Angeline Gata, who is also the Member of Parliament for Mutema-Musikavanhu.
Community tributes poured in from Chipinge on Friday. “Baba Gata’s passing is not only a loss to his family but to the energy sector and the people of Chipinge whom he served with unwavering commitment,” said a local official.
Vemuganga Radio added in a heartfelt Shona broadcast:
“Tineurombo ngekurashikirwa ndibaba Sydney Zukuzo Gata. Baba Gata aenda asi mishando yaakabata inoita kuti tirambe teiakarakadza mukuwo weshe ngemishando yaakabata Chipinge, nenyika yeshe.”
(“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Baba Sydney Zukuzo Gata. He is gone, but the legacy of his work continues to guide us in Chipinge and the entire country.”)
Details regarding the cause of death and funeral arrangements are yet to be made public.