CHINHOYI University of Technology (CUT) Vice Chancellor, Professor David Jambgwa Simbi has retired, capping an illustrious career in academia spanning over two decades.
Friday May 15, 2026, marked Simbi’s retirement, and a planned special farewell ceremony was scheduled but had to be postponed due to unforseen circumstances.
CUT public relations director, Shadreck Nembaware confirmed Simbi’s retirement.
“Prof Simbi is indeed going on retirement. Currently the Acting Vice Chancellor is Prof Engineer W. Goriwondo,” said Nembaware.
According to relevant ordinances, the University Council will confer Simbi with the Vice Chancellor Emeritus Status during a ceremony on a date to be announced.
Simbi, a distinguished academic, metallurgist, educationist, and administrator, was born on 6 June 1952 near Nyazura, Zimbabwe, to peasant parents. His father worked as a tractor driver on a commercial farm during the colonial era.
His determination to pursue education was deeply shaped by the injustices he witnessed growing up, including a painful incident in which a white farm owner slapped his father in the face — an experience that strengthened his resolve to rise above the limitations imposed by colonialism through education and hard work.
In pursuit of academic excellence, Simbi travelled to the United Kingdom, where he simultaneously studied for an Ordinary National Certificate in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, as well as a Mental Health Nursing Certificate at Brunel College in 1974. His commitment and intellectual brilliance saw him progress to the University of Portsmouth, where he graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Applied Chemistry.
He later enrolled at the University of Leeds, where he specialised in Metallurgy and Corrosion Engineering, successfully defending his doctoral thesis in 1984 and earning a PhD in Metallurgy.
Upon his return to Zimbabwe in 1985, Simbi joined ZISCO Steel (Pvt) Ltd as Manager responsible for Technical Development. His industrial expertise and leadership capabilities became evident during this period.
In 1988, he transitioned into academia when he joined the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) as a lecturer. Through dedication to teaching, research, and innovation, he rose through the academic ranks, becoming senior lecturer in 1994, Associate Professor in 2002, and attaining Full Professorship in 2005.
In 1999, Simbi was recalled to ZISCO Steel to serve as Works Executive, with the critical responsibility of spearheading the resuscitation and operationalisation of Blast Furnace No. 4. Having successfully completed the assignment, he returned to the UZ in 2000 to continue his academic career.
Simbi’s leadership qualities and vision for higher education led to his appointment as Pro-Vice Chancellor of Chinhoyi University of Technology in 2005. In 2006, he was appointed Vice Chancellor, a position through which he has played a pivotal role in advancing technological education, industrial innovation, and research-driven development in Zimbabwe.
Throughout his illustrious career, Simbi has held several prestigious international appointments, including Visiting Research Fellow, Visiting Senior Lecturer, and Visiting Professor at renowned institutions such as the University of Cape Town, the University of Zambia, the British Steel Corporation, Duisburg University, and Aachen University of Technology in Germany.
Beyond academia, Simbi has served on numerous national boards and advisory councils, contributing significantly to Zimbabwe’s industrial and educational development. His leadership roles have included membership of the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) and the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC).
He has also served as Chairman of the Kwekwe Polytechnic Advisory Council and Vice Chairman of the Manicaland University of Applied Sciences Foundation Committee.
An accomplished scholar and researcher, Simbi has published more than 50 papers in refereed journals and has reviewed several scholarly books on corrosion engineering. He has also produced numerous technical consultancy reports for industry.
In recent years, he authored several influential books, including Zimbabwe’s Education Systems Design: An Imperial Bequeathment — A Blessing or Curse?, Teaching and Training for Industrial Practice in the Manufacturing Sector, and An Introduction to the Aqueous Corrosion of Engineering Metals and Alloys for Undergraduates.
Simbi has taught and continues to teach a wide range of courses in Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering, including Pyrometallurgy, Corrosion Engineering, Construction Materials, Fuels, Energy, and Environmental Studies. He has supervised and mentored numerous postgraduate students, successfully guiding more than 20 Master of Philosophy (MPhil) candidates and over 15 Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil/PhD) students to completion.
Outside academia and industry, Simbi is also an accomplished farmer. Together with his wife, Margaret Masenda-Simbi, with whom he has been blessed with two daughters and a son, he manages Kazingizi Farm, where he is involved in tobacco production, beef farming, and crop cultivation.
