By Staff Reporter
AMBASSADOR Stuart Comberbach was instrumental in spearheading the Second Republic’s drive to mend global relations through the policy of engagement and re-engagement, Acting President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.
In his condolence message following the death of Amb Comberbach, who succumbed to cancer-related complications in the UK aged 72 on Thursday, the Acting President said the nation had lost “a seasoned diplomat and exceptional patriot”.
“I received with deep sorrow and sadness news of the untimely death of Ambassador Stuart Harold Comberbach, a seasoned diplomat and an exceptional patriot who dedicated his life to serving Zimbabwe,” he said in a statement last night.
“Ambassador Comberbach was a distinguished career diplomat who served in various capacities, which include, but are not limited to, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Italy, Japan and South Korea. He also served as a special advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as Zimbabwe’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, which was his last assignment before his retirement.
“Through his advisory role, Ambassador Comberbach was instrumental in spearheading the Second Republic’s drive to mend global relations through the Second Republic’s policy of engagement and re-engagement.”
After completing his tour of duty in November 2024, he retired and relocated to the UK to be with his daughter.
Dr Chiwenga said the late diplomat fully embraced the new Government policy of being a friend to all and enemy to none.
He also used his vast diplomatic experience and ties to openly encourage foreign investment into the country.
Ambassador Comberbach, the Acting President added, was among the few white citizens who chose to remain in Government after independence in 1980 when many others left.
“His patriotism was never in question, and he believed that our differences in race, colour and creed only served to enrich our shared humanity as one family in a unified Zimbabwe. On behalf of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, and the First Family, the Government and ZANU PF party, the entire nation, and on my own behalf, I wish to express my sincere condolences to Mrs Comberbach and the entire family following the loss of their loved one. May they take comfort from the knowledge that their loss is shared by the whole nation in whose service he contributed immensely.”
Ambassador Comberbach’s commitment to duty and patriotism earned him respect across the political divide.
He was widely recognised for championing unity among Zimbabweans, often emphasising that differences in race, colour and creed enriched the national fabric.
