Katima Mulilo
Deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport Andrew Mwazi was laid to rest in his native Katima Mulilo on Friday.
Scores of mourners gathered on Thursday and Friday for his memorial service and burial.
Mwazi, who passed away on June 30 in a Johannesburg hospital, was described by friends and family as very humble and a committed technocrat whose immense contribution helped elevate the Department of Works.
He rose from humble beginnings having worked and served in various entry positions such as clerk and artisan before he rose to chief electrical engineer and director of planning and development at the then Caprivi Regional Council prior to becoming deputy permanent secretary.
He progressed in the works minisitry due to his hard work and upon pursuing further education as an electrical engineer at Mogosotho Buthelezi Technicon in South Africa.
He worked in various capacities in the works department in regions such as Oshana, Kavango, Hardap and his native Zambezi before he was called to take up the position of deputy permanent secretary in 2007, a position he held until his death.
He held a national diploma and bachelor of technology degree in electrical engineering as well as a master’s degree in business administration.
The Deputy Minister of Works and Transport Sankwasa James Sankwasa, a childhood friend who once shared a classroom with the late Mwazi in Katima Mulilo, described the deceased as a humble and proactive individual.
“At Kizito College we shared the same room and we were classmates. We also played soccer together. I was known as Lankas and he was known as Chippa,” said Sankwasa.
“Before he was taken to Johannesburg for medical attention we had brainstormed on how to honour fallen heroes from the Zambezi Region by way of erecting a shrine,” said Sankwasa.
Mwazi is survived by his fiancée and six children – three boys and three girls. He was buried in the Katima Mulilo cemetery.