'SB Moyo was a workaholic, loving father'

DEATH is inevitable, but when it comes it is usually devastating, so painful that scars are hard to heal, and some wounds never really heal.

So it was yesterday, as the family of the late Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo was joined by Zimbabweans at large to remember a dear husband, father, son and uncle.

Emotions were raw, with some shedding tears for a General who rose to fame as the face of the military during Operation Restore Legacy in 2017.

A rare breed, intelligent and dedicated patriot, the late SB Moyo died on January 20 this year.

On a clear, sun-drenched day in Mberengwa, Dr Moyo's place of birth, a beautiful place nestled in rolling mountains, and famous for producing some of the country's finest sons and daughters, his wife, Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo, spoke of a man who was a loving husband, a God-fearing Christian and a workaholic.

"I used to attend funerals, but I didn't realise the pain they (bereaved), went through until I experienced it myself. To lose a partner is unbearably hard. Another part of you would have been ripped away violently.

"There was a time when I couldn't even eat and my children stood by me. Now I am much better," she said tearfully.

At first her voice shook with emotion, but as she recounted the journey with her soulmate, Justice Matanda-Moyo steeled herself and even managed to laugh at some of his shenanigans, including a time when he slipped away from hospital, where he was admitted, to attend a meeting without the knowledge of staff or doctors.

"SB was a courageous man. Even when he was in pain, he would pretend as if he was okay. Sometimes I had to go to the President and the Vice President for them to convince him to go to hospital. His biggest challenge was that he was a workaholic.

"There was a time when he was in hospital and I visited him. He was seated on the veranda getting some fresh air. I was hungry so I went to get some food and left my car keys on the bed. When I returned he was gone. I asked a nurse who told me that he had left. I went outside and discovered that he had taken my car. I then phoned a minister who was attending the same meeting with him and told him that SB had fled from hospital. That was the kind of person he was, committed to work even when he was sick," she said.

When her husband was buried at the National Heroes Acre, Justice Matanda Moyo, who heads the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, could not attend the funeral because she was hospitalised.

"It was painful that I couldn't bury my partner. I would like to thank Mai Sibanda (General Valerio Sibanda's wife) for standing by me during the difficult times. I would like to say to my children, stay in the Christian path that SB had chosen. To Busi, I say continue resting in peace," she said.

The son of the late national hero and namesake, Sibusiso, described his father as a loving man who always prioritised his family.

"To us as children he was a loving father, he cared for us deeply, no matter what he was doing he always put us first. He was a very selfless man. When I falsely tested positive for Covid-19, he would constantly check on me even during the night. He was a role model and a dedicated servant of the nation. A guiding hand, we will try to be a reflection of you," said Sibusiso.

When SB Moyo died, his funeral, because of Covid-19 restrictions, was attended by only 20 people.

His father, Sekuru Moyo, said he always looked forward to the memorial day and was deeply humbled and surprised that his son had become a national darling.

"I am grateful for this day, as a family we always looked forward to this day. I would like to say to our listening President that the 20th (when General SB Moyo died) of January was the darkest day in the history of the family, but we would like to thank you for being here. We had planned as a family to celebrate together."

Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga, who served with the late Lieutenant-General when he was Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, also described the late soldier as a workaholic.

"Whatever he touched, whatever you assigned him, it always succeeded. He was a visionary Commander. Whenever we wanted something done, we would always ask for SB or the other musketeers, that's what we called them. He was a gifted soldier, a strategist par-excellence," said VP Chiwenga.