4 January 2022
Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube
Over two thousand kilometres away, younger brother to the late Engineer Simela Dube, Ishmael, tried to convince him not to take up the offer by Bulawayo City Council of Engineering Services director and instead continue with the Development Bank of Southern Africa were was getting better remuneration.
Ishmael narrated this while speaking at the funeral service for the late Engineer at the Bulawayo Amphitheatre on Tuesday morning.
Eng Dube passed away last Thursday.
According to Ishmael, Eng Dube had shown him the offer letter from BCC to head the engineer services department at a time he was getting a better salary as a project manager with DBSA.
The two were discussing the issue over drinks and self entertainment and later around 3 am driving back to Zimbabwe the two picked up the issue again.
According to his younger sibling, Eng Dube was steadfast in taking up the job with Bulawayo City Council.
The director is said to have being resolute in stating that his love was with Bulawayo. Even if Ishmael tried to point to the fact that the remuneration was far much better in South Africa, Eng Dube preferred to be in Bulawayo.
Driving back home Eng Simela Dube thus reminded his younger brother,
“Who paid for my University fees at the UZ (University of Zimbabwe)?”
“It’s Bulawayo City Council” Ishmael responded.
“It is the reason why I went to Kwekwe and came back to the City of Bulawayo,” Eng Dube is said to have answered back
Ishamael went on to narrate that Eng Dube said it was not all about money, but about working for people.
And work for people he did as he ensured that Bulawayo received excellent service delivery.
Bulawayo’s water is still the best throughout the country. Despite the deteriorating economic conditions that has caused the influx of vendors on the streets, Bulawayo still remain the cleanest city in Zimbabwe.
This was attested by President ED Mnangagwa last November at Barbourfields Stadium where he had come for the monthly clean up campaign.
All this was because of the efforts of the late Engineer Simela Dube.
The late director joined BCC as a bursary student engineer under local authority’s bursary scheme (1984-1987), he was then appointed a junior engineer in October 1988, rising through the ranks to the position of construction engineer mainly involved in road construction and storm water drainage systems.
He joined the city of Kwekwe in March 1992 where he held the position of director of works after being promoted from the position of Assistant Director in the Engineering Services Department from March 1992 to 4 April 1995.
He rejoined the City of Bulawayo as Assistant Director of Engineering Services (Roads) in 1995 to 2008 where he also acted as a Deputy Director of Engineering Services (Water) from 2005 to 2008.
In 2009 – 2010, he worked as Project Manager responsible for capacity building of low capacity Municipalities with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).
He was appointed as Director of Engineering Services for the City of Bulawayo from 1 July 2010 to date, a position he held until his untimely death.
May his soul rest in eternal peace,