ONCE more a dark cloud hovers over us.
The nation has lost another illustrious citizen, a talented and hardworking daughter of the soil.
Professor Primrose Kurasha left us to join the constellation of our country’s finest.
We do not mourn her; we choose not to.
Instead, we celebrate her, for hers was a life well-lived.
Prof Kurasha was the first woman Vice-Chancellor in the country. She was heading Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) since 2003.
She was the chairperson of Distance Education Association of Southern Africa (DEASA), an executive board member on the Council for Distance Education (ACDE) and sat on the SADC-ODL Project Steering Committee.
Under her leadership, ZOU won the International Star for Leadership in Quality Award (ISLQ) and the Open University of Tanzania Excellence Award.
Yet, despite all these achievements, she remained humble and down-to-earth.
She never forgot her roots, especially the ghetto, as many of us came to learn. She strongly identified with it, having travelled the world and rubbed shoulders with many luminaries of the world, it remained dear to her.
Prof Kurasha, indeed, as pointed out by her numerous admirers whose lives she in one way or another touched, believed that every single achievement you make, every single life you change, and every single skill you acquire brings you one step closer to becoming a better person.
Hers is a legacy we shall always cherish and celebrate.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that when a person is educated, he or she is empowered. Beyond doubt education adds value and transforms for the better.
Through ZOU, Prof Kurasha helped destroy and shatter the age-old illusion that university education is for the elite.
She significantly contributed to human resources development in the country.
Her efforts dovetailed with those that were, and still are, determined to have the country independent in all arenas and sing its own song.
Prof Kurasha, a passionate community player, worked tirelessly to bring affordable tertiary education to all who desired a bite of the pie.
Her mission, and that of the institution she led, was ‘to empower people through life-long learning, enabling them to realise their full potential in an affordable and flexible manner while executing their various endeavours’.
And she delivered.
Through the institution she diligently led, our people were able to fit their learning around work and home life.
The farmer, the informal trader and a worker deprived of the opportunity to obtain a university education eventually got their degrees through ZOU.
And we all know that when one blends education with experience, one delivers optimal output, maximum productivity.
Through hard work on her part, and the team she led, she gave thousands the opportunity to realise their fullest potential.
As I have always said, as a nation, we are on the threshold of a new struggle, a Chimurenga for intellectual space.
This new struggle is intensely cerebral; it calls for the highest level of intellectual endeavour, mastery and excellence in scholarship.
Prof Kurasha played her part in ensuring that we will achieve victory on this front.
Through her efforts we will soon, all of us, be at the centre of our own narrative.
She was a revered sage, an immeasurable fount of knowledge and wisdom, a pillar of moral strength; many leaned on her and she overflowed with love.
We shall carry the mantle from where you have left comrade.
Forward ever!