HARARE – Sydney Gata, the executive chairman of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) and former in-law to the late President Robert Mugabe, has died. He was 79. His death, following a short illness, was confirmed on Friday, 4 July 2025.
Gata passed away on the evening of Thursday, 3 July, at a private hospital in Harare, after being admitted on Monday, 30 June, complaining of chest pains.
ZESA Holdings released a statement describing Dr Gata as a “distinguished expert in energy, power, and infrastructure development whose legacy is marked by unwavering commitment to national progress.” The power utility added, “It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we share the news of the untimely passing on of Dr Sydney Zikuzo Gata… and the Executive Chairman of ZESA Holdings.”
The statement further noted that Dr Gata “dedicated his life to advancing sustainable energy solutions and infrastructure development, and his leadership transformed the organisation during some of its most challenging times.” ZESA also said that “Dr Gata’s visionary approach saw the introduction of strategic reforms that improved service delivery, and he remained passionate about the welfare of the entire ZESA family.”
Gata leaves behind his wife, the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Angeline Gata, whom he married following the dissolution of his first marriage in 2022, as well as children and grandchildren.
Gata’s first marriage was to Ntombana Regina Mugabe, a sister to the late former president Robert Mugabe, in January 1987. In February 2022, Gata filed for divorce, stating that the marriage had “irretrievably broken down.” He told the court that the couple had not lived together as husband and wife for 30 of those 35 years.
In court papers, Gata stated: “The marriage between us has irretrievably broken down… I have lost all love and affection towards the defendant. We have lived apart since 1992 which is inconsistent with a normal marriage relationship.” In the settlement, Mugabe kept a house in Grange, Harare, and Gata agreed to pay her a lump sum of US$18,000, US$800 in divorce costs, and US$500 monthly for her upkeep, or the equivalent in Zimbabwean dollars, backdated to January 1, 2022. The agreement stipulated that Gata’s obligation to pay spousal maintenance would terminate upon the termination of his employment contract with ZESA. Gata and Mugabe had a son together, who is now an adult.
While Gata had a background in engineering and business, he was best known for his long and often controversial leadership of ZESA Holdings. He first served as chairman from 2001 to 2006 and returned in 2019 after being reappointed by then-Energy Minister Fortune Chasi.
His reappointment in 2019 sparked public backlash, with critics pointing to his earlier term and accusing him of playing a role in ZESA’s longstanding problems, including mismanagement, inefficiency, and corruption, that continue to plague the power utility to this day.
A trailblazer in the power industry, Dr Gata made history as the first black General Manager of the Electricity Supply Commission (ESC) from 1981 to 1985. He later served as CEO and board member of ZESA during the mid-1980s to early 1990s, before being appointed Executive Chairman of ZESA in 2001 until 2006.
During his time as CEO from 1986 to 1991, he championed the development of Hwange Power Station Project Stage One of 480MW and Stage Two of 440MW and the development of the Main 330kV HV-AC Transmission System and Regional Interconnectors.
Following his exit in 1991, Gata would be reappointed CEO in 2000, and executive chairman from 2003 until 2006 during which he oversaw the unbundling of ZESA into several subsidiaries – Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), ZESA Enterprises and PowerTel Communication.
Before his leadership in the power sector, Dr Gata made notable contributions in academia between 1976 and 1981, lecturing in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Chelsea College of Aeronautical Engineering in London and at the City University Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics in the United Kingdom. He later joined the University of Zimbabwe’s Faculty of Engineering from 1981 to 1982.
On the global stage, Dr Gata served as a board member of the World Energy Council (WEC) between 1992 and 1994 and was Deputy Chairman of the WEC Studies Committee. Dr Gata also held advisory and board roles with the African Development Bank and Integrated Energy Systems Ltd (UK), among others.
He left the utility under a cloud of corruption allegations in 2006. In 2018, he took ZESA to court demanding $10 million more on his original severance package but before the matter was decided by a court he was reappointed executive chairman in November 2019.
Gata’s career was marked by both significant achievements in the development of Zimbabwe’s power infrastructure and persistent controversy surrounding his leadership and allegations of corruption.
Follow @MyZimbabweNews
