THE nation is in mourning following the passing of Phatisa Nyathi, a revered historian, acclaimed novelist, media practitioner and staunch advocate for culture and heritage in Zimbabwe.
Nyathi, aged 73, succumbed to a recurring medical condition at a private hospital in Bulawayo, leaving a significant void in the media industry and beyond.
His death marked a heartbreaking loss for the Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust (ZMMT), where he served as a dedicated board member. His passing comes just a year after the loss of Professor Emeritus Ngwabi Mulunge Bhebe, another esteemed ZMMT board member and founding Vice Chancellor of Midlands State University, who passed away on the same month in November last year.
Renowned for his insightful contributions, Nyathi played an instrumental role in revitalising New Ziana, helping the mass media organisation regain its stature as a trusted pan-African news source.
“We at ZMMT have lost a committed and experienced board member who consistently offered valuable insights towards the revival of New Ziana.
“Mr. Nyathi was not only humble and result-oriented, but his absence will be profoundly felt. May his soul rest in peace,” said Ray Mungoshi, ZMMT Executive Secretary.
An unapologetic proponent of Afrocentric perspectives, Nyathi was celebrated as a champion of art, culture, and heritage in Zimbabwe.
He was also a passionate newspaper columnist for various publications. Among his accolades is the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 National Arts Merits Awards (NAMA).
He had recently been undergoing treatment and was hospitalised intermittently before his death last Saturday at Mater Dei Hospital. He was laid to rest on Wednesday at Stanley Cemetery, a final resting place for Bulawayo’s luminaries.
In recognition of his significant contributions to the arts and media landscape, Nyathi was granted a state-assisted funeral by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Earlier this year, he was assigned by President Mnangagwa to document the Battle of Pupu—a pivotal moment in the national resistance against British colonial encroachment—and to trace the final journey of the late King Lobengula following the fall of the Ndebele Kingdom in 1893.
President Mnangagwa expressed deep sorrow over Nyathi’s passing, highlighting his commitment to reconstructing the nation’s heritage, which he believed had been marred by colonial narratives.
“I personally felt very proud and overwhelmed by the sheer fervency of his commitment to the reconstruction of our national heritage which he felt had been assaulted and injured by countless colonial narratives.
“I even urged him to embark on more such projects so the huge lacuna in our sparsely documented and vastly distorted past, could be plugged. Today that hope stands rudely dashed as it’s proponent and main actor has bowed out of this life after a long and inexorably debilitating illness. We deeply grieve over this very sad and untimely demise which has robbed our nation so irreparably,” said the President.
Nyathi was born in Sankonjana, Kezi, Matobo District. He did primary education to Standard 3 in 1962 at Sankonjana under the Salvation Army and Tudi 1 Primary School belonging to the Brethren-In-Christ Church in 1963.
He went back to Sankonjana to start Standard 4 in 1964 and completed Standard 6 in 1966 after which he proceeded to the Salvation Army’s Mazowe Secondary School from 1967 to 1970.
He then proceeded to Gwelo Teachers’ College where he trained as a Science teacher from 1971 to 1973.
He taught at several secondary schools including the following: Loreto Mission (1974-1977), Usher Institute (January 1978-June 1978), Howard Institute (September 1978-1979, and Chitsere Government School where Howard students were hosted for the remainder of 1979) David Livingstone Secondary School (1980), St Columba’s Secondary School (1981-1982) and Sobukhazi Secondary School (1982-1983).
Nyathi became a lecturer in Education at the Gweru Teachers’ College from 1983 to 1985 after which he went to head Gloag High School (1985-1993) and then Nketa High School in Bulawayo (1993-1995).
In 1996 he joined the Regional Office, Matabeleland North Province in the Ministry of Education where he served as Education Officer, Non-Formal Education (1996-2002).
In 2002, he was appointed Deputy Provincial Education Director (Deputy PED) in the same region, and served till 2004 when he was retired from service. Following his retirement, he joined the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) as Public Relations Officer (PRO) till retirement in 2008.
He briefly worked for the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust as Culture Consultant. In 2012, he completed work on Amagugu International Heritage Centre (AIHC) in Matobo District, Matabeleland South.
Two years earlier he had set up a publishing house, Amagugu Publishers which specialises in publications pertaining to history and culture, in particular African Thought and African Cosmology.
Nyathi is a published poet, playwright, novelist, historian, biographer and newspaper columnist. He has penned well over 40 books, mostly on Ndebele Culture, Ndebele History and African Thought.
He has been active in writers’ bodies, having served as the second Secretary General of Zimbabwe’s first writers’ union, the Zimbabwe Writers Union (ZIWU). He also served in the Zimbabwe Academic and Non-fiction Writers’ Association (ZANA). He was an Honorary Member of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF).
He served on several Boards such as Transmedia, the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust, ORAP, the Community Foundation for the Western Region, Mambo Press Editorial Advisory Board, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Holdings, Zimbabwe Book Development Council, the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ), Intwasa KoBulawayo, Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust, and other professional associations and organisations such as the National Association of Secondary School Heads (NASH), Mthwakazi Actors and Writers’ Association (MAWA) and the Ndebele Language Committee.
Nyathi was a member of the National Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
He presented papers at several fora including the Britain Zimbabwe Society (BZS) in Oxford, in Brazil, ICCROM in Rome and several more within Zimbabwe. He worked full time as researcher, writer and publisher.
As consultant, he worked with universities, colleges, secondary schools and students doing both graduate and post-graduate studies. His interest in the arts and culture has seen him travel to several countries such as Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Algeria, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America, Norway, Scotland and Zambia.
He was married to Elizabeth (who passed on in 2016) in 1981 and together had three children, two daughters, Sikhanyisile and Fikile Nomadlozi and one son, Butholezwe Kgosi.