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Herald Reporter

Head of Cabinet Secretariat in the Office of the President and Cabinet Mr Francis Sonny Mapingire has died.

He was 57.

Mr Mapingire succumbed to cancer of the colon at a private hospital in Harare on Christmas Day.

In a condolence message read on his behalf by Acting chief secretary, Ambassador Nicholas Dhlamini Kitikiti, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda described Mr Mapingire as one of the most dependable officers who worked tirelessly and diligently to make the Cabinet system efficient and productive.

Dr Sibanda said they were looking forward to launching the e-Cabinet system with him in the New Year.

“It is with a deep sense of loss and sorrow at the untimely loss of a pillar of your family after a short illness. We had hoped that he was going to recover soon and join us back at work, but it was not so. His loss is not only to you but to all of us in the Office of the President and Cabinet and indeed the nation,” he said.

“We will all continue to cherish his contribution in the area of the Cabinet administration and indeed in other critical areas. May his family be comforted that he played his part in this whole process.”

His widow, Josephine, said he fell sick in 2017, had an operation and went through treatment before he fell sick again in September this year. He had a scan that confirmed his condition was recurring and he started deteriorating.

“He was a kind and generous man of God who was loved by a lot of people. He was a great father. He loved to talk to his children, mentor and teach them the values of life,” she said.

Family spokesperson and young brother, Mr Munyaradzi Mapingire said he will be buried tomorrow at his rural home in Zaka, Masvingo.

A funeral service will be held at 9am today at ZAOGA Braeside Christian Centre International before the body is taken to Zaka.

He started off his professional career as a teacher at Highfield High 1 from June to July 1987 before he joined the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare as an Admin officer in August of the same year.

In December 1989 he joined the Department of National Scholarships as a senior Admin officer and then moved to the Office of the President and Cabinet in 1994 before rising through the ranks to head of Cabinet Secretariat in 2009. He was studying towards a Doctor of Philosophy Degree with the Midlands State University.

He is survived by his widow Josephine and two sons — Kudzwaishe (24) and Anozivaishe (19).Mourners are gathered at number 6103 Bloomingdale, Harare.