In Loving Memory of Sternford Moyo [28 May 1956 – 05 July 2024]

Sternford Moyo was born in Mwenezi, Masvingo Province on 28^th May 1956 as the only child of Sifana Moyo and the late Idah Moyo (nee Whande). He attended primary school at Pambe Primary School in Mwenezi and enrolled at Hope Fountain Mission in Matebeland for part of his secondary education. He subsequently completed his education at Mzilikazi High School in Bulawayo.

Sternford went on to study law at the University of Rhodesia (now University of Zimbabwe) and graduated with distinction in the Bachelor of Law Degree (BL) in 1980 and the Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) in 1981. He joined Scanlen and Holderness in 1981 as an intern and quickly rose through the ranks to become the first black partner in 1984. He became the firm’s senior partner and chairman in 2009, which positions he held up to the time of his demise at Borrowdale Trauma Centre on 5^th July 2024.

Renowned for his sharp intellect and unwavering dedication to the legal profession, Sternford Moyo had a distinguished career marked by several accomplishments. In 2000, he became President of the Law Society of Zimbabwe and served his tenure with exception mainly fearlessly tackling and defending the human rights issues which affected the nation during that period. He was also elected as the SADC Lawyers Association President and became the co-chair of the human rights institute of the International Bar Association (IBA). In January 2021, Sternford Moyo was appointed as the first person of African descent to become the President of the International Bar Association. In recognition of his exceptional work as a human rights defender, Sternford Moyo was awarded the Freedom of the City of London, England in September 2022 – an illustrious award which has to date, only been conferred on Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Kofi Annan in Africa. He also served on several boards as chairman and director including as Chairman of Stanbic Bank of Zimbabwe Limited, Schweppes Zimbabwe Limited, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Delta Beverages and as director of Alpha Media Holdings Limited and Portland Holdings Limited.

Sternford Moyo will be deeply missed by his colleagues at Scanlen & Holderness, his family and the countless individuals whose lives he touched. May his soul rest in eternal peace.