Mutumwa and I: A Mentor and Leader Departs

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, 11 January, I came across a post on the WhatsApp status of my brother, DJ Wildfire. It was a photograph of my mentor, Mutumwa, accompanied by a broken-heart emoji. I was immediately jolted into deep sadness. I texted Wildfire at once to confirm my worst fear.

“He is gone,” he replied.

My response was instinctive: How could Mutumwa pass so soon?

Yes, I was aware that he had suffered a stroke in June 2022, but I never imagined that it would bring such a powerful life chapter to an end so abruptly.

Mutumwa was my leader, mentor, confidant, friend, and brother.

Our paths crossed close to twenty years ago when I was at Old Mutual, working to build my professional practice. It was through Mutumwa’s Africa Heritage Society (AHS) that I found leverage, access to Africans of significance, at a time when I was still a new entrant into South African society, particularly within the highly competitive insurance space.

At Africa Heritage Society, Mutumwa preached a consistent and unapologetic gospel: Black power through knowledge, organisation, and execution. It was there that ideas were sharpened, consciousness awakened, and resolve strengthened.

In truth, it was also at AHS that I met a fellow Zimbabwean who facilitated my biggest deal at Old Mutual, an achievement that propelled me to the top nationally. That moment alone speaks volumes about the impact of Mutumwa’s ecosystem.

My late father, too, was part of the Africa Heritage Society. He delivered a lecture on property rights, a subject close to Mutumwa’s heart and central to his broader philosophy of Black empowerment. There is a profound coincidence in the fact that Mutumwa’s passing almost coincides with the twentieth anniversary of my father’s own passing.
Mutumwa was revolutionary, cerebral, and forceful, yet equally charming and persuasive. He possessed a rare ability to challenge you intellectually while drawing you closer through warmth and conviction.

My mentor is gone, and a part of me feels profoundly empty.

He was born in 1960,the Year of Africa, when 17 African countries gained independence, including two English-speaking nations: Somalia and Nigeria. Mutumwa passed just days after his 66th birthday, an eerie coincidence given that I was born in 1966.
How can I forget the love he showed me?
How can I forget his unwavering kindness?
How can I forget the opportunities he created through the regular seminars and lectures at AHS, teaching us how Black people could claim ownership through the power to organise?
How?
I am deeply saddened by your exit, Mutumwa. No goodbyes?
My brother—until we meet again.
Barrister Adetunji Omotola
Founder, 12 Disciples Leaders