COVID-19 claims several academics across sector

COVID-19 has claimed several academics in Zimbabwe in recent weeks, including top administrators and researchers.

Their deaths come at a time when new COVID variants are spreading, despite efforts by the government to curb the spread of the virus through a national lockdown.

Professor Munashe Furusa, the fourth vice-chancellor of Africa University, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Universities’ Vice-Chancellors’ Association and a board member of the Higher Education Council in Zimbabwe, died on 13 January at a local hospital after a short illness.

His death has been described as a huge blow to the university, which was established nearly three decades ago by the United Methodist Church.

Furusa has been hailed as a visionary who spearheaded technological advancements at the university by setting up an innovation hub that helped students and faculties to develop new ideas further.

The Acting Vice-chancellor of Africa University, Professor Peter Mageto, said Furusa introduced and implemented online learning at the institution before the pandemic struck and at a time that many tertiary institutions did not believe in it.

A member of Africa University’s board of directors, Lisa Tichenor, added that the late vice-chancellor “cared greatly about advancing the university in its educational capabilities and developed the necessary leadership to achieve this”.

University of Zimbabwe mourns

The University of Zimbabwe (UZ), too, has been plunged into mourning following the death of Pro Vice-chancellor of academic affairs, Rosemary Moyana, who died on 21 January as a result of COVID- 19 complications, law expert Lovemore Madhuku said in a statement.

He described the late Moyana as a “gifted, humble and passionate administrator”.

On behalf of the institution’s council, Professor Paul Mapfumo stated that Moyana’s passing was a “huge loss” that had devastated the learning community.

HIV community loses scientists

Two medical practitioners who have been globally acknowledged for their contributions towards HIV research in Africa have also succumbed to the deadly virus.

A statement published on 26 January by the International AIDS Society (IAS) announced that Dr David Katzenstein, professor of medicine at Stanford University, and James Gita Hakim, professor of medicine at the University of Zimbabwe’s College of Health Sciences, died from COVID-19-related complications.

The President of IAS, Adeeba Kamarulzaman, stated that the world had been robbed of “two great HIV scientists and humanitarians”.

He described them both as “giants in our field who have made contributions to advance HIV research and science, improving the lives of people living with HIV across the world”.

Katzenstein, who died on 22 January, had been a lifelong member of IAS and “made important contributions with his research focused on the treatment and evaluation of HIV infection, including clinical trials to collect data on the long-term impacts of adults living with HIV”, according to the statement.

Hakim, born in Uganda, died on 26 January, and has been described by a former University of Zimbabwe medical student as “a great teacher, mentor and powerhouse in research”.

He was the director of the UZ clinical research centre and served as the elected African representative on the IAS governing council between 2016 and 2020.

His dedication to HIV research was spread across antiretroviral therapy, prevention, opportunistic infections and long-term complications of HIV.

For his work in the health sector he was honoured with the Ward Cates Spirit award in 2019.

By the time of his death, Hakim, who was a graduate of Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Nairobi in Kenya and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK, had published widely on HIV research.