ZESA appoints interim leaders

ZESA Holdings has announced key interim leadership changes in the wake of the sudden passing of its executive chairman, Dr. Sydney Gata.

In an internal circular seen by this publication, the state-owned power utility revealed that Vice Chairman Albert Joel Nduna will step in as interim board chairman, while veteran engineer Cletus Nyachowe has been appointed acting Group Chief Executive Officer.

The changes come as ZESA - now operating under the umbrella of the Mutapa Investment Fund - undergoes a structural transformation. As part of the ongoing rebundling process, the post of executive chairman will be abolished and replaced with a separate chairman and CEO structure, in line with modern corporate governance practices.

Engineer Nyachowe, who takes up his new role with effect from July 17, is an accomplished electrical engineer with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Zimbabwe. He joined ZESA in 1988 and has since held several senior positions, including heading Powertel Communications and overseeing operations in grid asset management, group operations, and international energy projects. He also brings experience from renewable energy consultancy work across the SADC region and currently sits on the board of the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.

Albert Joel Nduna, who now assumes the role of interim board chairman, is a seasoned corporate executive with over 35 years of leadership experience. He currently chairs the Insurance and Pensions Commission and serves on multiple boards as a non-executive director.

In a statement to staff, ZESA's Executive Director for Human Capital, Fortune Sambo, praised the appointments and expressed confidence in the new leadership.

"Nduna and Engineer Nyachowe bring decades of corporate and sectoral expertise," said Sambo. "Their leadership will be invaluable as we continue to advance the government's aspirations of achieving total electrification and universal access to power and data by 2030."

Under Gata's leadership, ZESA made significant progress in expanding generation capacity, although power supply challenges remain. The new leadership is expected to maintain momentum on critical projects, including upgrades to national transmission infrastructure and the rollout of public-private partnership initiatives aimed at improving reliability and access.

A formal search process for permanent successors to both positions is currently underway, with further announcements expected in the coming months.