Monday 11 February 2019

PFUGARI DIES, BURIAL IN CHIWESHE

Property mogul and one of the pioneers of Zimbabwe’s black economic empowerment crusade, Eddie Pfugari has died. He was 82.



 Pfugari who owned Eddie’s Pfugari Properties collapsed at died at his Milton Park home in Harare yesterday. Family spokesperson Mr Edward Pfugari said the late Pfugari is expected to be buried at his Chiweshe rural home on Friday February 15. “A memorial service will be held at Pfugari’s Milton Park home on Wednesday between 1pm and 2pm. We will go to Chiweshe for burial,” he said.

  Pfugari was born at Howard Mission in Chiweshe in 1937. His first business, a café in the backyards of Harare’s Highfield high density suburb started off modest but opened up doors for many young Zimbabwean entrepreneurs. As he had predicted, the business was an instant success and Pfugari moved into the CBD where he opened his first restaurant at Charge Office in 1978.

 It was not easy, indigenous people could not access financial resources because of lack of collateral security. In any case, institutional racism was a barrier for many. Pfugari, however, clearly outwitted the system. In 1979, he bought his first farm, Evington now Samaita Farm in Beatrice from Edward Scrace. He later sold Samaita farm.  

A few years later he fulfilled his dream, that of owning a township when he bought Knowe, a farm in Norton developing it into a low density suburb which attracted prominent people like the late national hero and music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi.

Pfugari would also buy old houses in Harare and renovate them for resale and at the time of his death he was building cluster houses along Oxford Avenue in Highlands and some at Whitecliff. He also owned properties from number 32 to 42 Mbuya Nehanda in the CBD, land at Whitecliff and in Bindura. Pfugari is survived by his wife Hazel and five children Edward, Stephen, Naomi, Henrietta and Itai.   Herald

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