Retired Justice Sello Nare, Chairperson of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), has died at the age of 81.
His family spokesperson, Lesley Ncube, confirmed to CITE that Nare passed away on Saturday night in a Johannesburg hospital after a prolonged illness.
Ncube said Nare was born in 1943 in Ward 19, Kafusi, Gwanda District, Matabeleland South Province, and had an illustrious career spanning education, law, and national reconciliation. Said Ncube:
Nare attended Kafusi Primary School and later received a bursary to study at Dadaya Mission. His early career began in education, where he trained as a teacher.
He worked as a primary school teacher in Zvishavane and Gwanda between 1963 and 1970 and later served as a headmaster from 1971 to 1973.
He taught at several schools, including Chegato and Msume, before eventually pursuing a legal career.
According to Ncube, Nare was fluent in six local languages—Sotho, Ndebele, Shona, Venda, Nyanja, and English—along with knowledge of Kalanga and Shangani, and a strong understanding of Nambya, which greatly assisted him in his role as a court interpreter.
He trained at the Judicial College before being appointed a magistrate in the early 1980s, while also pursuing his LLB with UNISA.
Throughout his legal career, Nare served in various capacities across Zimbabwe, including as a magistrate in Bulawayo, Hwange, and Chiredzi, ultimately becoming the provincial magistrate for Mashonaland West and Matabeleland North.
He was promoted to regional magistrate in Harare in 1993 and later served as Senior Regional Magistrate in Mutare before assuming the role of President of the Administrative Court in Bulawayo in 2003.
In 2006, he was appointed President of the Labour Court in Bulawayo, a position he held until his retirement in 2013.
Nare was appointed Chairperson of the NPRC by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in March 2018, succeeding the late Cyril Ndebele.
A dedicated member of the Church of Christ in Bulawayo, Nare served as an elder and was active in academia, chairing the Lupane State University Staff Disciplinary Committee in 2014.
He was also an avid farmer, tending to his farm in Marula and maintaining a garden at his home in Belleview, Bulawayo.
Nare is survived by his wife, Leticia Gladys Nare, three children, and 11 grandchildren. Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
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