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Mawere buried in Johannesburg after dispute
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Late Zimbabwean business magnate Mutumwa Mawere, who died on January 15 at the age of 66, was buried on Wednesday morning at Fourways Memorial Park in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he had lived for several decades.
Mawere's burial followed a court battle between his partner and members of his family, who had sought to have him interred at his rural home in Gutu, Masvingo Province. The court ruled in favour of his partner, clearing the way for his burial in South Africa.
He passed away at Mediclinic Sandton Hospital in Bryanston, Johannesburg, after suffering complications related to an acute neurological condition and a stroke he sustained in 2024. Prior to his death, Mawere had been in a critical condition since mid-2024 and required constant medical care.
Born in Zimbabwe, Mawere held dual citizenship and rose to prominence as one of the country's most accomplished and globally connected entrepreneurs. At the height of his career in the 1990s, he built a vast business empire spanning mining, finance, agriculture, transport and logistics, manufacturing, telecommunications and media.
Through Africa Resources Limited, Mawere controlled SMM Holdings, once a dominant conglomerate that owned the Shabanie and Mashaba asbestos mines, along with more than 20 other companies. At its peak, SMM Holdings was regarded as one of the largest and most diversified corporate groups in Zimbabwe.
However, Mawere's later years were defined by a protracted legal and political dispute with the Zimbabwean government that began in 2004 over control of Africa Resources Limited and its subsidiaries. The battle, which unfolded under successive administrations and later under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, marked a dramatic turning point in his business career and ultimately forced him into exile.
Despite years spent outside Zimbabwe, Mawere remained a towering and controversial figure in the country's corporate and political discourse, symbolising both the promise and peril of indigenous capital in a volatile economic and political environment.
His burial in Johannesburg closes the final chapter on the life of a man whose rise, fall and long-running battles left an indelible mark on Zimbabwe's business history.
Mawere's burial followed a court battle between his partner and members of his family, who had sought to have him interred at his rural home in Gutu, Masvingo Province. The court ruled in favour of his partner, clearing the way for his burial in South Africa.
He passed away at Mediclinic Sandton Hospital in Bryanston, Johannesburg, after suffering complications related to an acute neurological condition and a stroke he sustained in 2024. Prior to his death, Mawere had been in a critical condition since mid-2024 and required constant medical care.
Born in Zimbabwe, Mawere held dual citizenship and rose to prominence as one of the country's most accomplished and globally connected entrepreneurs. At the height of his career in the 1990s, he built a vast business empire spanning mining, finance, agriculture, transport and logistics, manufacturing, telecommunications and media.
However, Mawere's later years were defined by a protracted legal and political dispute with the Zimbabwean government that began in 2004 over control of Africa Resources Limited and its subsidiaries. The battle, which unfolded under successive administrations and later under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, marked a dramatic turning point in his business career and ultimately forced him into exile.
Despite years spent outside Zimbabwe, Mawere remained a towering and controversial figure in the country's corporate and political discourse, symbolising both the promise and peril of indigenous capital in a volatile economic and political environment.
His burial in Johannesburg closes the final chapter on the life of a man whose rise, fall and long-running battles left an indelible mark on Zimbabwe's business history.
Source - online
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