His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa, has appointed Colonel (Rtd) Dr. Lioba Tendai Gunduza and Mr. Ernest Takafa Manyawu as Commissioners to the Health Service Commission.
Colonel (Rtd) Dr. Gunduza is currently a lecturer at the Zimbabwe National Defence University. She holds a Doctorate in Ethics, including Gender Issues, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as a Master’s Degree in International Relations and a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Political Science from the University of Zimbabwe.
Dr. Gunduza is also a qualified general nurse, midwife, and community nurse. Prior to joining academia, she served as Director of Nursing Services in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, where she demonstrated exceptional leadership and professionalism. She is an accomplished scholar and respected professional whose extensive knowledge and experience is of great benefit to both the health sector and academia
As a health sector leadership and governance expert, Commissioner Manyawu brings in a wealth of experience in leading health institutions and programs at the national and international levels. His areas of special interest include capacity development in leadership and management, good corporate governance, health policy planning, organisational turn around strategies, health financing and global health diplomacy.
In Zimbabwe, Commissioner Manyawu started his career as a District Health Services Administrator for Kezi Matobo District and later Chikomba District. Thereafter he worked at the MOHCC head office in the strategy development unit as a Program Administrator for the MOHCC/DANIDA Health Sector Programme support.
He later joined the Scientific, Industrial and Research Centre (SIRDC) as part of the three member secretariat to the Cabinet Taskforce that was assigned to establish the Food and Nutrition Council of Zimbabwe. Following that assignment, he re-joined MOHCC and was appointed to the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals as a Director of Operations. Commissioner Manyawu’s international career commenced with his appointment in 2011 as a Director of Operations and Institutional Development and Deputy Head of Mission at the intergovernmental health institution, East Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) in Tanzania.
In 2014 Commissioner Manyawu was appointed the Acting Director General and Head of Mission for the ECSA-HC following the retirement of the Director General. He acted in that capacity until the appointment of a substantive Director General. At the end of his tenure with ECSA-HC in 2017, He re-joined the Government of Zimbabwe as a Chief Executive Officer for Ingutsheni Central Hospital before joining the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals as its Group Chief Executive Officer.
Commissioner Manyawu’s academic credentials include an MSc. in public health, a post graduate diploma in health services management, a post graduate certificate in project management and an honors degree in politics and administration.
The Health Service Commission congratulates the newly appointed Commissioners and looks forward to their valuable contribution towards strengthening healthcare leadership, governance, and service delivery in Zimbabwe.