By Diaspora Insurance
LONDON: “It is difficult to put into words the depth of our loss, but even harder to fully capture the incredible life that he lived,” said Duduzile Machipisa.
“As a journalist, he was passionate about telling stories that needed to be told,” Duduzile added in a touching tribute to her late father and former BBC reporter Lewis Machipisa..
“His work at BBC Africa was more than a career; it was a calling. He believed in the truth, in justice and in giving a voice to the unheard.”
Dozens of colleagues from the BBC, the UK-Zimbabwe media fraternity, as well as family and friends attended Machipisa’s recent funeral service and burial at the Kemnal Park Cemetery & Memorial Gardens in London.
Diaspora Insurance, supported the funeral service and sponsored its global live broadcasting.
Tributes from colleagues and friends captured the fascinating contrast between the seriousness of Machipisa’s impactful journalism and his humble, unassuming and happy-go character.
“If hakuna matata (no worries) was a person, that was Lewis; just unbothered,” explained long-time friend and colleague Innocent Chifamba Sithole.
“Lewis lived authentically – no frills, just Lewis. He represented the lighter side of life. He was sunshine and what I mean by that is you wouldn’t be talking to Lewis if you were not smiling and laughing.”
Violet Gonda, another contemporary of Machipisa added, “Lewis was a very close friend; I used to call him MaChips.
“He was just a fun-loving guy and I remember the last time I saw him was at the UK Zimbabwe Achievers Awards. He is the one who made the whole event so entertaining.
“He wouldn’t keep quiet and was just dancing throughout the evening; that was Lewis for you.”
Nehanda Radio’s Lance Guma said, “The guy (Lewis) was always making us laugh.
“I don’t remember a single event I went to and did not leave with a sore set of ribs from the laughter. He was comedy gold; he knew how to make us laugh.”
However, while comedy defined how he related with family and friends, his journalism was anything but; it was serious, professional, impactful and inspirational.
Hopewell Chin’ono, another veteran journalist and long-time friend who attended the funeral was at journalism school in Harare with Machipisa between 1991 and 1993.
“Lewis was dedicated to his work to a point where he had to leave Zimbabwe and come into exile in the United Kingdom because he was being harassed by the then Mugabe (Robert) administration.”
Chofamba Sithole added; “He (Lewis) was an inspiration to me as a young journalist in Zimbabwe (when) Lewis was already working with IPS and covering stories for global audiences.
“He quickly followed that up with the BBC, reporting from hot spots such as South Sudan as it emerged to become Africa’s 54th independent nation; Lewis was there to report and record that moment in history.
“His voice is well known and beloved across the African continent which he reached out to through BBC World Service programmes such as ‘Focus on ‘Africa and Network Africa’.
“He (Lewis) was a pathfinder,” concluded Professor Winston Mano of the University of Westminster’s School of Media and Communication.”
“He introduced many of us to the BBC. A humble man and keen journalist but also somebody who was the soul of the party; always up for a good laugh.”
Machipisa, who was 53, passed on peacefully at his home in Catford, Southeast London, on Wednesday morning, January 8, 2025. He is survived by three children Dudu, Dumi, and Chikomborero.
