Go well Mike Ndubiwa: manager par excellence

Obituaries
BY ZIFISO MASIYE His manner exquisite and his deportment stern, yet ever so amiable… His poise steadfast, confident. A humoured, crispy wit and great turn of phrase about him. His taste truly humble, yet sauvé and debonair. His temper explosive. No-nonsense! His attitude, yet supremely candid and generous, his disposition. Cool, calm and collected, his […]

BY ZIFISO MASIYE

His manner exquisite and his deportment stern, yet ever so amiable… His poise steadfast, confident. A humoured, crispy wit and great turn of phrase about him. His taste truly humble, yet sauvé and debonair. His temper explosive. No-nonsense! His attitude, yet supremely candid and generous, his disposition. Cool, calm and collected, his demeanour. That “cash-talk” tongue of his ready to sting …incisive yet seasoned, brutally frank and yet sensitive. His diction polished, his words measured, yet never insincere.

A heart oozing love, compassion, unwavering commitment to Lydia, family, community, to the good of the next man and a relentless desire to bring out the best of his people… the best of his city. The man exuded calm power, the aura of accomplished statesmanship, a signature annoyance with mediocrity and, you could say stoical, self-assured arrogance…imbulu!

A dogged planner, meticulous to the dot, a fine-toothcomb ran through all the work of his hands and his every thought…. About the sun, the ants or the colour of wind, Mike’s honesty was brutal. Mike loved a great battle of minds and never backed down from an argument of what is just, what is fair and what is right…or indeed what is Bulawayo!

A dependable rock and man of honour, once settled on a position, his pride of place, his loyalty to principle was fierce. A cunning strategist, willing to lose a battle here, lose a battle there, knowing the war was his to win tomorrow. This impeccable legend of virtue and epitome of rare governance panàche came alive, shining through his humble coffin when  Bulawayo bade farewell to her iconic town clerk and manager par excellence, Michael Nkayiso Ndubiwa, on a chilly Saturday morning in the City of Kings.

In the heart of the hitherto sprawling pride of the city, a now moribund Centenary Park, whose every blade of scorched grass, whose decaying infrastructure and frail relics of old must have mourned with the mourners and reminisced over Dr Ndubiwa’s glory days of the resplendent manicured greenery, the prolific water fountain and the sheer buzz, romance and vibe that iconic park lit in the hearts of visitors in days gone by … This, as the amphitheatre reverberated with nostalgic accounts of what great public service to a city means and what distinguished leadership of a people is, with speaker after speaker drawing quiet tears from the eyes of an audience in awe of tales of a hero departed!

There is merit in the case for meritocracy as the key to good governance and successful nations. A casual appraisal of the illustrious credentials, experience and astute leadership acumen that saw Bulawayo attain iconic milestones of governance excellence  in the years of the Manager par Excellence presents a compelling case.

It is Ndubiwa’s unparalled work ethic, perfectionist attention to detail and visionary footprint in local governance that saw the City of Kings become the envy of all and gain proud international accolades and reputation as the cleanest and best-run city in Southern Africa in the mid-80s. Dr Ndubiwa’s distinguished 15 years as the first ever black town clerk remain unequalled at every level. The man was an incorruptible disciple of service to community, who blew his top at the sheer proposal for his office and senior management to be spoilt to expensive models of vehicles, at the expense of service delivery.

A believer and resilient servant of the common man, Dr Ndubiwa upheld the notion that governance and public service is itself a prime arena of temptations. The easiest and most immediate to fall into is also the most pervasive… It is the personal decision by a leader to abandon the common good and forsake the public mandate in a consuming pursuit for self-enrichment.

When the cancerous culture of splashing public finances on fancy cars and personal glory ego trips began to creep into the bowels of local governance in the mid-80s, Dr Ndubiwa would push back singularly, with his every sinew, much to the chagrin of all his peers, preferring instead, to ride in his humble Peugeot 504 to the very last. A man with a wealthy heart who never sought undue wealth,  Ndubiwa was proud, he worked hard enough for his family never to go hungry, but never pinched a penny from the Bulawayo public nor found the need to steal so much as a square metre of the people’s land using the power of his office.

From day one of his appointment to lead the council and the City of Bulawayo,  Ndubiwa had been an insatiable scholar, accomplished planner and achiever, completely sold to the ideal of legacy. “Without a compelling commitment to the ideal of legacy, all leaders are vulnerable to the pull of self-service, graft, primitive accumulation and self-glory…”

Although he was a solid all-round governance fundi, Ndubiwa’s peculiar passion was in housing… a sector that he grew tremendously throughout his term, making Bulawayo a trend-setter. His enduring view towards dismantling short-sighted elitist privilege … “So often, decent housing for all is viewed as some benevolent gesture of good practice or a favour for the poor. Far from it. The service gap and service imbalance that is increasing daily is a governance time-bomb. Providing as excellent services to your least able is in fact in the best interest of your wealthiest and most able citizens. We should never feel discomfort to tax the eastern end of the city to prop the western side.”

An astute technocrat, chiselled for excellence, Ndubiwa would never settle for second best. In every aspect of service to the city, the CEO’s message to his managers would be consistent… “Insist on the very best, of yourselves and your teams. We either uphold the ideal of excellence or condemn our city to the drudgery of perennial mediocrity.” So distinguished were the works of The manager par excellence that in order to allow his genius to permeate other territories, a Local Government Bill was mooted in the mid-80s that proposed that senior council officials were transferrable at the whim of the minister. Everyone knew this as the “Mike Ndubiwa Bill”.

Fare the well, Great Man. “Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts…”