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Arts Reporter
Mr Elvas Mari, the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) director has resigned after serving the council for 16 years.
In a statement NACZ, communications officer Catherine Mtombeni said Mari resigned from his position as director with effect from March 16.

“Mari served the NACZ with distinction for the past 16 years. He is leaving the arts council to pursue other interest outside the arts.

“The council will miss Mari’s visionary, strategic and professional leadership which placed a high premium on integrity, servant leadership and good corporate governance,” she said.

Mtombeni said Mari held sevarl senior positions in the organisation since he joined in January 2002. He was appointed assistant director for arts promotion and development.

Mr Mari later rose and was promoted to the position of deputy director in March 2005. Due to his leadership qualities in fostering development and promotion of arts and culture in Zimbabwe, he was elevated to the position of director in November 2009 the position in which he served for eight years before he tendered his resignation.

Mtombeni allayed fears of embezzelment saying NACZ was up to date with its audits and had been consistently receiving clean audit reports.

Mari was instrumental in the establishment of several programmes like the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama), Jikinya dance festival and culture week among others.
Efforts to get a comment from Mari was fruitless as his mobile phone was not being answered at the time of going to press.