Cheda new chair of NGZ board

YOUTH and Arts minister Kirsty Coventry has appointed Justice Maphios Cheda (Rtd) as the chairperson of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) Board of Trustees.

Cheda replaces Solomon Guramatunhu, who held the post since 2013. In a statement, the gallery said Cheda’s appointment, effective from November 23, had been made in line with the Public Entities and Corporate Governance Act.

“Justice Cheda (Rtd) has a longspanning career as a lawyer and judge, having sat on the High Court bench in Zimbabwe and Namibia, respectively. He has served as chair on numerous tribunals and now brings his leadership to the arts institution,” the statement read.

Cheda said as an art lover hailing from Bulawayo he found the appointment as a great opportunity to contribute to the contemporary art heritage in Zimbabwe.

“I feel humbled to be appointed the new National Gallery of Zimbabwe Board of Trustees chairperson, a historic and lively contemporary art museum, not only in Zimbabwe, but on the continent at large,” he noted.

“It is my hope that my contribution to Zimbabwean art will add value. My other board members will also play a role in guiding the institution, working with the executive director Raphael Chikukwa and the staff across Zimbabwe.”

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare established in 1957, is a museum dedicated to the presentation and conservation of Zimbabwe’s contemporary and modern art and visual heritage.

It now has two regional galleries in Bulawayo and Mutare with Harare being its head office.