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Andrew Murishi Herald Correspondent
A sombre atmosphere engulfed Fairview suburb in Marondera yesterday as public relations practitioner and former Sunday Mail business editor, Augustine Moyo, was buried.

He was 38.

Moyo died this week on Monday at a local hospital due to injuries sustained in a freak accident at Eastlea Shopping Centre in Harare.

He worked as a business reporter at The Sunday Mail before rising through the ranks to business editor.

He left Zimpapers to join the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) as a public relations executive.

Addressing mourners, ZINARA human resources manager Gilfen Moyo said the late Moyo was instrumental in setting up the public relations department at the parastatal.

“We have lost our first public relations manager, who joined ZINARA when it was still a small organisation. He was in the management team, which contributed in making ZINARA as big as it is now,” said Mr Moyo.

Family members and friends described Moyo as a sociable man and devout Christian.

Zimbabwe National Editors Forum (ZINEF) chairman, Dumisani Muleya said it was sad that the media had lost Augustine Moyo a few weeks after the death of Gift Phiri, another senior journalist.

“Moyo was one of the most dedicated and hard working journalists that we had.

“However, what is gratifying is that journalists as a community always stand together in these difficult times.

“Moyo’s death was not just a loss to the media fraternity but to our communities in the country given the work that he did as a reporter at Zimpapers and as a public relations manager at ZINARA,” said Muleya.

Dr Cleopas Kundiona, founder and executive director of Moyo’s former college, UMAA Institute, described the late journalist as one of the institution’s finest products.

“As an institution we have lost one of our finest products. Our media fraternity will never be same without Augustine,” Dr Kundiona said.

Journalists from different media houses who attended the burial paid their last respect by carrying the casket bearing Moyo’s body to its final resting place.

At the graveyard, Highlanders fans took to dance and song to pay their last respects to Moyo, a staunch supporter of the club.

Moyo is survived by his wife Chantelle and three children — Chacha, Rebecca and Ethan.