By Business Reporter-Celebrated and prominent business executive, Dr Edworks Mhandu, executive director of Quton Seed Company, a subsidiary of Seed Co Zimbabwe, has died.
He was 67.
He passed away at the Trauma Centre in Harare on Saturday morning.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr Edworks Mhandu this morning at Borrowdale Trauma Centre,” a close relative said.
“A true icon in the agricultural sector, he dedicated his career to transforming the industry through his remarkable contributions at Seed Co and Quton.
“Beyond his professional excellence, he was a loving husband, a devoted father, an amazing grandfather, and an inspiration to many. His legacy will live on in the countless lives he touched.”
Dr Mhandu was a key figure in the growth of the country’s agricultural sector, spearheading various programmes to support farmers across the country.
He previously served as MD for Seed Co Zimbabwe, the country’s largest seed producer in 2020, before he stepped down on medical grounds in 2022.
Prof Idah Sithole–Niang, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Zimbabwe, said she was devastated to learn about Dr Mhandu’s death.
“I am deeply shocked. My deepest condolences to his family,” she said.
“I first met Dr Edworks Mhandu in biotech circles over a decade ago. For a while there, I thought he was a plant breeder, only to learn that he was in finance. Such was his brilliance in the seed sector. He then pursued his doctoral studies on Bt cotton and had the privilege of working with him on the subject.
“We later co-authored a commissioned paper on GMOs that was well-received and widely read. He had planned to publish his doctoral thesis and had asked me to write the foreword. He knew the Biotech seed sector back to front and was instrumental in bringing the much-needed attention to GM cotton in Zimbabwe. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. He will be sorely missed.”
He was born on 8 August 1958 at Marondamashanu in Chivhu district.
Dr Mhandu is survived by his wife Abigail, three children – Rufaro, Kudzai, Isheanesu and three grandchildren.
Mourners are gathered at 2 Innerleithan Road, Mandara.
-Herald
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