By Nyasha Rushwaya.
MASVINGO-Shock and disbelief aptly describe the mood that engulfed the entire Masvingo and local government communities, as news of Adolf Gusha’s demise filtered in.
Social media was ablaze with condolence messages, from the rich, the powerful to the ordinary person.
Word of his death quickly spread like wild fire and became the talk of the streets of Masvingo and beyond, with those new in town asking who is Adolf Gusha.
However, for those who have been resident in the ancient City for over three decades, the name Adolf Gusha wasn’t new.
The name had both the ugly and good moments in the ancient city, but the fact remains that it will forever be engraved in the history of Masvingo’s history for centuries to come.
The veteran municipal administrator breathed his last at a Hospital in Chinhoyi on 2 January 2024 while coming from holiday in Kariba.
He was 66.
Gusha will be laid to rest at Mangwandi Cemetery in Masvingo City on Saturday.
At the time of his death, Gusha had ventured into mining and quietly enjoying his retirement having spend over 30 years in local authority governance.
For 15 years Gusha was at the helm of Masvingo City Council as the Town Clerk.
He left Masvingo City Council in August 2019.
The veteran administrator began his journey in local governance in 1987.
He served in various capacities and rose through the ranks and was finally appointed the substantive Town Clerk for Masvingo City council in 2004.
Gusha also worked for Shurugwi Rural District Council and had a stint with the parent Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
Like any individual occupying such a top post his tenure was marked with ups and downs.
Being an astute observer, a critical thinker and soft-spoken individual, Gusha would always manage to canvass through challenges he faced.
That’s why he was able to transform the Masvingo town status into a city that it is today.
The man has many accolades to his name which he won courtesy of his leadership style.
The same goes to Masvingo City Council, an institution he led as during his tenure the city was among the best service delivery providers.
To many the most talked about event during his tenure is when he clashed with employees in 2007 over a labour dispute.
The legal battle with employees resulted in Masvingo City Council losing all its vehicles including the Mayor’s official car and service delivery vehicles which went on to gather dust at the messenger of court premises as Gusha refused to pay the amount awarded to workers by the courts.
Some said he refused to pay the workers because he had the backing of the then late President Mugabe, who was believed to be his uncle.
The impasse invited a lot backlash from both the residents and ratepayers as it seriously affected essential service delivery in the city
However, Gusha quickly got over the matter and made a remarkable recapitalization drive which witnessed council securing new service vehicles in the shortest possible time.
The man is also credited with the introduction of the roads levy in 2015 which quickly drew criticism from stakeholders.
But as a visionary leader, Gusha defended the move and the idea paid off as residents witnessed a change in the city’s road network as a number of major roads were rehabilitated.
And for the first time in years, that period saw the local authority purchasing its own fleet of yellow machinery dedicated for road works.
Although some of his policies and leadership style did not go down well with everyone in the city, Gusha remained a down to earth individual up to his retirement.
He enteracted with anyone who sought his counsel regardless of social class and was a good listener.
He was a de facto Local Government Ministry consultant as he was hired from time to time to run other councils and do interviews for senior officials.
Gusha is survived with three children a boy and two girls and four grandchildren.
Masvingo District Development Coordinator, Roy Hove described the late as a humble and shrewd administrator par excellence.
“He left council as one of the most experienced and senior town clerks in the country, when he retired, Masvingo City was ranked as one of the best councils in terms of service delivery in the country as witnessed by the many accolades that he won during his tenure.
“The void that he left will be very difficult to fill, we will miss him a lot,” said Hove.
In a message on the Masvingo City X handle (formerly Twitter) Mayor Councillor Alec Tabe said; “We announce the sad and untimely passing on of our @Masvingo City former Town Clerk Mr (Adolph) Gusha. On behalf of the Council, management, councillors and all stakeholders, we relay our deepest regret on this unfortunate death,”.
Colleagues and business community expressed their shock and said the city had lost an astute adviser whose contributions to the welfare of the city will go unmatched.
Businessman Engineer Tawanda Gozo who once worked with the late Gusha and continued to have strong relations outside council said he was still in pain and short of words on how best to describe the loss.
“it’s so difficult for me to say at the moment I’m just short of words on what to say,” said the former Masvingo City Engineer.
A local pressure group, Masvingo Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA) which seem to be at logger heads with council officials in advocating for improved services said the organization was humbled by the professionalism Gusha exhibited during engagements.
“He always kept his cool, there are instances where we tabled critical issues to council in which tempers sometimes flared, Gusha would keep his cool, put a smile on his face and responded professionally to our grievances,” MURRA chairperson Thomas Mbetu said.
