Jobs

University of Zimbabwe lecturer Professor Claude Mararike dies

Share via:

By Nancy Samuriwo

RENOWNED University of Zimbabwe lecturer, Professor Claude Gumbucha Mararike has died.

He was 82.

Confirming the death, his daughter Vivian Mararike said the academic passed on early Thursday morning. She would not divulge the cause of his death

Professor Mararike was widely known for his regular appearances on State-owned broadcaster ZBC talk shows in the early 2000s, where he spoke passionately on Africanism with his contemporaries Dr Vimbai Chivaura, Professor Sheunesu Mupepereki and Dr Tafataona Mahoso.

Professor Mupepereki succumbed to Covid-19 at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in July 2021 at the age of 70.

Dr. Chivaura is also now late, having died in 2015 aged 64

Mourning Professor Mararike’s death, UZ researcher and lecturer in the Department of Creative Media and Communications, Klara Ana Rose, described Prof Mararike as an incredible genius and fountain of wisdom who was irreplaceable by any means.

“Professor Mararike defended the word not just in writing. In fact, he was the word, himself, emanating a powerful story – defending with presence, with wisdom, with humor,” said Rose.

“Walking into Professor Mararike’s office was like walking into my Aunt Kasia’s living room – lined with books, all of the walls; piled with books, all of the tables.”

Prof Mararike specialized in rural development, indigenous knowledge and the Sociology of Mass Communication in the Department of Sociology at the University of Zimbabwe.

He was largely seen as pro-Zanu PF, the ruling party in Zimbabwe, over his stance on Zimbabwe’s international isolation and Western imposed sanctions.

Prof Mararike was in the eye of a storm over the last few years after he controversially supervised former First Lady Grace Mugabe’s PhD thesis. The then First Lady graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy from the Faculty of Social Studies in September 2014, a degree which was seen as fraudulent.

The case claimed the scalp of University of Zimbabwe Vice-chancellor Professor Levi Nyagura, who was arreated and subsequently fired by Mnangagwa.

Lecturers who worked in the Sociology department alleged that Mararike was not supposed to supervise Mugabe as he was on a temporary contract with the University. They further alleged that “… all the requisite procedures were not followed in toto, and there was complete disregard of university rules, processes and procedures”.

After Robert Mugabe was toppled from power in 2017, the administration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa began probing Prof Mararike for his role in the matter. No conclusive position had been reached at the time of his death.

When Mugabe died in September 2019, Professor Mararike mourned him as a great lover of his people’s education.

“Mugabe really was a principled leader, a great lover of his people’s freedom and a great lover of Africa’s freedom and sovereignty,” said Professor Mararike.

Professor Mararike wrote several books in his areas of specialty. These include:

  1. Grassroots leadership: the process of rural development in Zimbabwe
  2. The human factor approach to development in Africa
  3. Survival strategies in rural Zimbabwe: the role of assets, indigenous knowledge, and organisations
  4. The role of madzishe in nation building
  5. Land: an empowerment asset for Africa : the human factor perspective
  6. Knowledge production and African universities: a struggle against social death
  7. Africa’s heritage: our rallying point: the case of Zimbabwe’s land issue
  8. Sports, juju, and human factor development
  9. Revival of indigenous food security strategies at the village level : the human factor implications.

Professor Mararike had an MPhil from the University of Zimbabwe, as well as a BSc. in Sociology from the same institution.

Before joing the University of Zimbabwe, he worked as a correspondent for ZBC, the BBC, Reuters, AFP and The Times of Nigeria.

He also served as a senior research associate at the International Institute for Human Factor Development and served as the director of IIFHFD Zimbabwe chapter.


FIND MORE OPPORTUNITIES HERE:

  1. LATEST Entry-Level Jobs in SA
  2. LATEST Internships & Learnerships in SA
  3. LATEST Bursaries in SA
  4. LATEST Career Tips & Resources
  5. LATEST Grants & Funding 
  6. LATEST Contests for South Africans

  • Join our Telegram channel so you’ll never miss an opportunity. Simply CLICK HERE, and you’re in!

Share via:

RELATED OPPORTUNITIES

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button