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By Ross Moyo
“Ambassador Wharton understood that progress is not achieved in isolation,” Farayi Mangwende told guests at Friday’s Celebration of Life. The First Mutual executive was speaking on the Women’s Development Dialogue, an initiative Wharton started in 2014-2015 at the Ambassador’s residence.
The program was deliberately cross-sector. “Over a series of breakfast engagements, women from an extraordinary range of sectors came together: Health, Finance, marketing, telecommunications, security, entrepreneurship, human rights,” Mangwende said. “He believed that each generation of women should not have to figure out everything from scratch.”
He called it ‘cross pollination’. “Ambassador Wharton often spoke about the importance of what he called cross pollination of ideas and experiences,” she said. The Harare program was later replicated in Bulawayo and spread via social media.
For creatives, he was an unlikely champion. Comedian and chef Carl Joshua Ncube recalled: “He introduced me to people who are running safari camps… He wanted me to go stay in tents… He took us on this tour around the country on bikes.”
Ncube said Wharton taught him to sell Zimbabwe, not politics. “He believed if I could say all of the good things, I could motivate more people to do good… He made me a Tourism Ambassador… I got to travel… I learned about conservation.” He even joked about U.S. pretzels and hot dogs, but said “I learned to forgive the U.S. for a lot of strange things.”
Civil Society also felt the support. Jestina Mukoko said: “When I was National Director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, Ambassador Bruce facilitated that we access funding from the Embassy to facilitate our critical work of monitoring and documentation of human rights abuses.”
His passions were personal and visible. Matambanadzo said he loved “motorbikes, vintage cars, working on them himself.” He hosted the Vintage Car Club at the residence and rode with friends. Julie Wharton’s letter thanked Zimbabweans “for riding motorcycles with him, fishing and playing tennis.”
Music was part of the residence life too. Matambanadzo noted “jam sessions in the living room” with USAPella. Today’s program included Verity Norman Tichawana, Sekai Zengeza, and USAPella performing “Neria.”
The legacy is relationships that outlasted his posting. “Mentorships that began around breakfast tables have continued. Lessons shared… have been passed on to others, creating a ripple effect,” Mangwende said. From women’s networks to comedians on bikes, Wharton’s work was about “creating opportunities for others to grow, connect and thrive.”
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