Acclaimed scholar and medical doctor, Privilege Mudiwa
Munyikwa (57) who died in a tragic boat accident in the United States of
America on July 26, 2020 was buried at the family farm in Masema, Dewure in
Gutu on Tuesday morning.
Munyikwa who drowned in a fishing mishap was buried in the
absence of his wife Preachess nee Vella, also a medical doctor and two children
who could not travel from the USA to attend the funeral because of Covid-19
global travel restrictions.
There were about 200 mourners at the funeral which was
marked by the absence of his siblings, many of his relatives, close friends,
workmates, and former school mates due to the pandemic.
Mourners who gave speeches described Munyikwa as a scholar
of note, a respected, compassionate medical doctor and a humble family man.
His academic prowess became pronounced beginning at
Fletcher High School in Gweru where he was the most outstanding A level student
in 1982 and won a scholarship to Cambridge University. He returned from
Cambridge and pursued a medical degree at the University of Zimbabwe before
returning overseas to specialise in various areas of his chosen profession.
He settled in Delaware in the USA where he worked at Bebee
Healthcare.
Munyikwa was held in high esteem by former Fletcher
students. Mthuli Ncube, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development who
was in the same stream with him described Munyikwa as a gentleman and a
brilliant scholar.
Henry Maindidze, a Fletcher Old Students Association (FOSA)
executive member who was instrumental in organising the return of the body back
home said it was Munyikwa’s wish to be buried alongside his father, Eliah
Chirango Munyikwa at the family farm hence the hustle to bring back the body
under Covid-19. The father was once a school head at Gutu High.
The death is the second in the family in five years
following the passing on of Munyikwa’s younger brother Eliah (Junior), another
brilliant academic who was also a medical doctor in the USA.
Munyikwa’s uncle, Professor Rangarirai Zinyemba told
mourners that the late died at the end of a fishing expedition along the coast
of the Atlantic. He was using his boat in the company of his wife when near the
shore his fishing line got entangled and Munyikwa decided to jump out of the
boat and disentangle it.
“He underestimated the depth of the water and there was an
undercurrent that swept him away. He was rescued by men in another boat but he
had taken in too much water and the water was still too cold just at the end of
winter,” said Professor Zinyemba.
Munyikwa was taken to Bebee Healthcare where he died. He is
survived by his wife Preachess, his daughters Michelle and Zanele (Tanya) and
his mother Eneah.
His surviving siblings are Kennedy and Emmanuel and sisters
Patience Nyemba and Loneliness De Souza. Masvingo Mirror
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