Zimbabwean Historian, Pathisa Nyathi Has Died
Prominent Zimbabwean historian, cultural activist, and educationist Pathisa Nyathi has died at the age of 73.
Nyathi passed away on Saturday, 02 November, in a local private hospital after a long battle with diabetes.
His son, Butholezwe Kgosi Nyathi, confirmed his father’s passing to The Sunday News. He said:
We are just processing the news now as a family but our initial reaction is that of sadness. However, we have to acknowledge that he has not been well for a while now and there’s some relief that he is resting now because he was in pain for a long time.
As the surviving family members we are in grief because he was a figure that occupied a very pivotal role in our lives and we will dearly miss him.
Of course, the outside world regarded him highly but to us, he was just a father like any other. The overwhelming feeling we have right now is one of gratitude because he was there for us through thick and thin.
When a man is there for you from your childhood right until you reach your adulthood, you have to thank him because it just shows the unwavering dedication that he had for his own family.
Pathisa Nyathi was born in Sankonjana, Kezi, and completed his primary education at Sankonjana School and secondary education at Mazowe Secondary School in Mashonaland Central.
Despite his early interest in writing, Nyathi did not initially consider himself a writer, though he has written many books and is regarded as an isiNdebele expert, despite only studying ChiShona.
After finishing A-levels, he chose to study science instead of arts or languages.
Nyathi trained as a science teacher in 1970 and earned his first degree in Geography from the University of South Africa in 1983, followed by a second degree in 1985.
He co-founded the Mthwakazi Writers and Actors Association with Felix Moyo and Mthandazo Ndema Ngwenya.
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