Maligwa lived his life like candle in the wind
“IF the rhythm of the drumbeat changes, the dance steps must adapt”.
This was Josh’s favourite mantra and now the rhythm is no longer the same.
The cadence is difference. One cannot dance even if they tried. How do you dance when your general is fallen and the troops stand in shock in the battlefield?
When you can hear the horn of the advancing enemy and you know that the troops must be rallied in defence of the citadel that is your home; the jewel that is the heart of the east; the pride of the Jewel of Africa?
When the birds of carrion circle and in their dark eyes envision an eternal feast of the spoils of the land?
It seems as if the drum has taken a malevolent rhythm of its own. Churning out a benumbing cadence which deadens the heart. It seems the drum plays on. But all we hear is the sound of silence.
Joshua has fallen.
But how can it be?
How does one named Joshua fall right at the edge of the Promised Land?
He might have been a Moses in action, but surely by name his destiny ought to have been different? Yet, this is the Lord’s doing. Marvelous therefore it is in our eyes. In it all, we give praise to the Lord Almighty.
I do not write this obituary to the dead, but to the living. To those who perchance may learn from the life of the man whose name was Joshua Maligwa and glean from it what it means to be a citizen, a patriot, a public servant, a leader, a mentor and a transformer of organisations.
Josh was in the business of transforming ailing cities and he did this with such visionary dedication and unwavering purpose there was no question as to where his priorities lay.
He understood that local authorities are the heart of national transformation and the holders of the hopes, aspirations, desires and legacies of our people in touch with the heart beat of the nation at its most basic level and acted accordingly.
He understood very well that local authorities moreso major cities like Mutare are the citadels of resource allocation attracting a complex multiplicity of vested interests and he made sure that integrity, ethics and an unwavering and practical anti- corruption stance would guard the city from the vagaries of these interests.
He took over a city that was crumbling. A city that had begun to be referred to in colloquial terms as the embodiment of a cesspool and transformed it into a regional and continental powerhouse.
He took over a city whose legacy of debt, under- performance, corruption, operational silos and poor work ethic were a veritable nightmare to navigate and transformed it into one of the most efficient local authorities in Zimbabwe.
He understood that transformative leadership was not necessarily the most popular approach, yet it was necessary. He understood that taking a bold anti-corruption stance would make him unpopular, but he took that stance anyhow.
He was not it for the popularity. His mission was not hinged on gaining cheap popularity points at the expense of the city.
He had a vision. He had a dream as succinctly encapsulated in his WhatsApp profile: “If we build beautiful cities for the children, we will have built beautiful cities for our people”.
Josh looked beyond the present into the future. Where others saw only obstacles or opportunities to loot and plunder, Josh envisioned legacies lasting for generations into the future.
He was a visionary man and such man in their rarity are often maligned by those whose own visions are limited to the next dollar they can swindle out of the people, the next piece of land they can defraud the nation of, the next tender they can award fraudulently.
When faced by evidence that it is possible for a person to hold public office and actually seek the good of the city those whose minds and hearts were schooled in the art, science and commerce of corruption will find any means possible to malign, degrade, downplay, hinder, detract, derail the attainment of the very things that prove their malicious intents to be misguided and utterly inaccurate.
They weave and spin and spread fantasies which deluded they begin to believe as true and walk against the evidence that looks them straight in the eye and rebukes them.
Joshua Maligwa if anything made it very clear to those who cared to learn and understand that it is possible to hold the helm of a city and do great things. For those who cared to learn, the lessons were learnt and this for all posterity.
He was not in it for the money. He was not in it for the benefits. Up to the day he died, he drove the Isuzu he acquired from Rusape Town Council. A vehicle which is well into its 7th or 8th year.
He prioritised recapitalisation of the city to claiming what was rightly his. He prioritised the interests of employees ahead of his own.
He chose to endure the dark, cold, barren winter of organisational transformation rather than celebrate a false summer.
He chose to plant and nurture rather than harvest prematurely. It was never about the money. Josh had genuine passion for his work. He had genuine drive. He had a strong work ethic. He had integrity. Straight as an arrow. You always knew exactly where you were with him.
He was a family man. Often talking to me with deep love and great fondness for his treasured wife, Monica and recounting again and again their love story. Their journey together. How she was always there from the very beginning and every single step of the way. He spoke of his sons with humour and a twinkle in his eye and who among those who were present at the Megafest Eastern Region awards in 2018 can forget his iconic acceptance speech for his award?
B e am i ng wit h immense pride he announced: “Madam, Minister of State and the house at large; first and foremost, I want to announce that I have become the proud father of a baby girl. I have a daughter, Madam Minister. My wife gave birth to a daughter!”. His excitement was contagious. And oh, how that daughter grew to love her father!
Obituaries are not biographies, therefore there is a point where one must find their summation.
There is much that can be said. Much more that needs to be shared. As his executive assistant in the three years and eight months that he served as the Town Clerk of the City of Mutare, I was honoured to be part of his visionary team.
He was the strategist and I am honoured to have been the administrator who freed him from administrative duties so he could focus on that which was fundamental for the city’s progress.
He was a mentor, a leader, a team builder, a genuine facilitator of excellence.
“I expect those who work under my leadership to soar. I want them to be innovative visionaries. I want you guys to fly so high without encumbrance and if l feel you flying in the wrong direction, I will redirect you and guide you but just fly,” was one of his famous quotes.
He did not just say these words. He lived them and executed them and applied them to every single employee in the City of Mutare.
He cared deeply about the city’s employees. When revenues were low, the lower grades were paid first.
To this very day they remain the priority. He knew his employees very well. He knew who was excelling in grass cutting and drain clearing and street sweeping as much as he knew the same of those in management.
There is a poem one of whose lines run thus: :Go safely into that good night.”
Nevertheless, naked we all came into this world and naked we shall return. In all this, may the name of the Lord be praised. Josh was diligent in his work, therefore it was fitting that he stood before kings and was himself a leader of exceptional excellence.
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