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Joosbi Omar |
TellZim
Reporter
The late Mwenezi Member of Parliament (MP) Joosbi
Omar is expected to be buried at Lawn Cemetery in Masvingo today in line
with Muslim burial practices.
Omar died yesterday evening, October 25, at Makurira
Memorial Clinic where he had been admitted after suffering a heart attack.
Family spokesperson, Yunis Omar, who is younger
brother to Joosbi, said the family was devastated by the loss.
“It happened all of a sudden. Yes, he had some minor
health issues in the past and he was diabetic but we did not expect that it
could end like this so early. As a family, we can’t fully describe the loss. He
was a family man,” said Yunis.
Zanu PF Masvingo provincial spokesperson Ezra
Chadzamira said he was greatly saddened by Omar’s untimely death.
“He was a hardworking MP and party member; very
loyal to the ethos of the party and to the President. We are devastated by his
death which came when we least expected,” said Chadzamira, who is also the
Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution.
Omar, who was born in 1953, grew to become a
successful businessman with interests spanning real estate and education.
In 2013, Omar contested in the Zanu PF primaries for
Masvingo Urban constituency but lost to Daniel Shumba who went on to become MP.
In 2017, he contested and won in the Zanu PF Mwenezi
East primaries ahead of a by-election that year and went on to become MP,
succeeding Joshua ‘Mazebra’ Moyo who had died suddenly in December 2016.
Omar was re-elected MP in the harmonised elections
of July 2018.
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, one son
and eight grand children.