Mugabe's mum cast in bronze

RUSAPE-based world acclaimed sculptor, David Guy Mutasa, last week presented President Mugabe with a special gift of a portrait bust of his late mother, Mbuya Bona.

Mutasa was requested to do the portrait by President Mugabe's late sister, Sabina Mugabe.

He gave President Mugabe the portrait just after the Politburo meeting at Zanu-PF Headquarters.

Mutasa said Mugabe requested him to do the portrait of Mbuya Bona as she wanted to give it to President Mugabe as a surprise.

He said Sabina saw it only once and recommended some corrections.

The Makoni Rural District Council chairman and Zanu-PF Manicaland provincial member said he met the President on the eve of his 93rd birthday this year in Harare.

President Mugabe gave Mutasa the nod to go ahead and complete the work.

"The late Tete Sabina was the one who asked me to do this portrait bust and she mentioned that the portrait will be a special gift to President Mugabe. She wanted it to be a surprise. This was before she unfortunately passed on.

"She saw the portrait once and made some observations for certain corrections but I did not have the chance to see her again since she was not feeling well. We were hoping that she will be well to see it again.

"Nevertheless, I continued working on the piece and then I was wondering how I was going to present it to His Excellency.

"About six or seven years after the death of Tete Sabina, I then met President's relatives who said the issue of the portrait should be brought to the attention of the President.

"On February 20, I met President Mugabe at State House and showed him the portrait. He was pleased with it. He then asked me to cast the bust in bronze. I engaged my young brother who is an expert in bronze casting," said Mutasa.

He said it was a great honour for him to do a portrait of a mother, who gave birth to an iconic liberator and people's hero, President Mugabe.

"On July 19, we presented the bust portrait to the President and First Lady at Zanu-PF headquarters before the Politburo meeting.

"It was a wonderful occasion for me. At last I had fulfilled the dreams of the late Tete Sabina in making our President and the First Lady happy. The nation should learn from the Mugabe family to honour and remember their departed parents," said Mutasa.

Mutasa is an internationally acclaimed sculptor, who has done some of the best artworks around the world.

Some of his easily recognised works locally include the Zimbabwe Bird Artwork on the polished granite pasted on the walls of RBZ, Mbuya Nehanda statue inside RBZ banking hall, Statue of the Unknown Soldier at Zanu-PF headquarters, Statue of Sekuru Kaguvi in the Parliament of Zimbabwe and statue of former Vice-President Joshua Nkomo. He also worked with North Koreans on the National Heroes' Acre, among many other artworks.

Internationally, Mutasa has done two bronze busts of Macus Garvey for the Macus Garvey Library and the Grange Museum.

He also did the Statue of Hector Peterson.

Mutasa also did four busts of Prince Charles in London and of which one was presented to the then Zimbabwe High Commission in London in 1990 to mark Zimbabwe's 10th independence anniversary.