Sibangilizwe: A Legal Witty Export of Mat’land to the UN

Jack of all trades: An academic, legal guru, farmer and disc jockey | Images supplied by family

We remember locals we’ve lost to  COVID-19. They were pillars of their communities and families, and they are irreplaceable.

As of Feb. 2, COVID-19 had killed 216 people in greater Matabeleland. We want to remember and honour every person who has died and what they meant to our region.

You can help The Citizen Bulletin tell stories of a dozen locals who have succumbed to COVID-19. If you’ve lost someone due to the coronavirus and would like them memorialized in our bi-weekly newsletter, send us a WhatsApp chat on +263 7 18636460.

  Family Message:

So long our hero, so long! Rest in eternal peace our beacon of hope, till we meet again at Jesus' feet. Rest well Ndlovu, Tshani, Tshanikwe nyama, Mhwamamba Silunde, Bengwane, Banisese Bahalangudza, banongula nenkaka beti vula inanyungila, Vembe; what a man, what a bigger than life character!

The shorter version: When Sibangilizwe Ndlovu succumbed to COVID-19 on Friday July 24, 2020, he was working as an attorney for the United Nations and was based in South Sudan. He was laid to rest in Ntepe, Gwanda on Sunday, July 26, 2020.

The longer version: Sibangilizwe Ndlovu (better known as Lizwe) was born on April 26, 1976. He did his Primary education at Paye Primary School before completing his secondary and high school education at Manama High School in Matabeleland South. In 1995, he proceeded to study for an LLB Laws degree at the University of Zimbabwe before being admitted into practice and worked briefly for Wintertons Legal Law firm in Harare.
 
He set an impeccable academic record right from his early years as Ntepe’s wonder boy, Manama High School’s shining Star. Blessed with a warm, big heart and classy, witty legal brains Lizwe’s meticulous rise to the apex of International Law at the United Nations was effortless and with so much aplomb. He was our own homegrown global icon who made friends and earned respect from all the corners of this earth.
 
Lizwe was a legal adviser to the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei, Sudan. Lizwe’s flirtation with the United Nations dates back to 1999 when he joined the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo where he worked for 10 years. He then took an academic break to do a Master of Laws degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa before joining Phumelela Gaming and Leisure as its Group Legal and Compliance Officer.
 
He rejoined the UN Family as a Legal Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). While still with UNECA, he was assigned to serve as a Legal Officer with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon before proceeding to join the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei.

Lizwe served in various capacities under the United Nations, including as Legal Officer with the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. When he breathed his last breath on that dreadful morning on Friday, July 24 2020, he was working for the United Nations in South Sudan.

Note: The above autobiography was obtained from Lizwe’s family. It has been edited for space and clarity.