By Takura Zhangazha *
I learnt of the sad news of the recent passing away of Dr. Blessing Makunike from a journalist colleague Godwin Mangudya.
Apart from the shock of the news, I was deeply saddened that a cde who was relatively young had passed on.
Dr Makunike was my and many others senior at the University of Zimbabwe. To be specific he was a teaching assistant in the Political and Administrative studies in the Faculty of Humanities then run by the late Professor Mukonoweshuro in 1997.
He worked closely with again the late Professor Masipula Sithole as his tutorial assistant for a course titled (cdes can correct me if I am wrong) "Survey of Political Ideas". And subsequently on another course which related to Zimbabwe's political history and Pan Africanism. I cannot quite recall its title.
So we were undergraduates and he was assiduosly studying for his PhD. Together with, if I remember correctly now Dr. Knox Zengeni who also tutored us at that time.
Dr. Makunike was an undergraduate students helper. He was allowed to review our assignments for the courses he tutored and generously gave humorous advice about where we had messed up. Be it in referencing or factual and theoretical misnomers.
He was affable to a fault. He would talk to us as though we were his peers but he was already doing a PhD. And he would wade into student politics with snide comments about how we, his students, didn't know what we were doing.
This was based on his own history of student activism as he would explain it to us.
He had a great relationship with the Students Union at the University of Zimbabwe. He, as rumour had it, helped Tafadzwa Musekiwa, who was later on to become Zimbabwe's first youngest Member of Parliament, campaign to again become the first vice president of the University of Zimbabwe Students union coming from the department of Political and Administrative Studies (PolAd).
He gushed over the achievement of a student of political science being a vice president of the students union. And thereafter he always followed Prof Masipula Sitholes dictum of arguing that you cannot study political science if you don't want to practice it.
We would laugh about this in tutorials about Africa and Zimbabwe while arguing about Samuel Huntington or even Nkrumah, Ujamaa and Pan Africanism.
And for sure he had a satirical sense of humour when some of us got low marks.
Moreso when laughing at how, why and where we got it wrong
If I remember correctly he also directed myself, Linus Tsuro, Chofamba Sithole and Charles Mangongera to visit the main University's Stack Room 3 more often! That was the main floor for many social science students library readings as listed in course outlines.
In all of this he was focused on finishing his post graduate studies. And when he got his PhD most of us the R97s had left the University if Zimbabwe.
He had also moved on to the academic registrars department . I think he had a speciality in administration.
And he eventually became a deputy academic registrar with a focus on post-graduate studies.
But I will never forget that time he asked me, 'Pinda mu SRC mpfana (get into the SRC young man)'. This was after a meeting where mdara Morgan Tsvangirai and cde Thoko Matshe among many others had come to address the students union on the issue of a new constitution in 1998. I had waffled a question that got rapturous applause. And my brother Witness Zhangazha was already a Campus celebrity.
Dr. Makunike was ever active in following student politics and understanding the dynamics of the same.
When I won the SRC presidential election in 1998 he laughed at me and said, 'Yah, now you will know the real political science'. And for sure I learnt the hard way. But thanks to his regular advice, I survived suspensions and expulsion.
Post my undergraduate studies and as emplyees, Dr. Makunike would after 2004 occasionally phone for a meet up. He, like his mentor Prof Masipula Sithole would say 'ngatiitei one'. He would normally be with cde Godwin Mangudya and we would meet at the press club at Ambassador Hotel, Harare before they made their way to Mufakose.
When I would ask him about politics cde Dr Blessing Makunike would just say 'takakudzidzisei vapfana?' (What did we teach you?) And he would give a haughty life while we were convivially imbibing.
My impression of the now late Dr. Makunike was that I could tell a man who had an intellectual presence that did not require the usual praise and sing songs. He believed in his work. He gave the impression he loved it. And I believe that to be completely true.
Furthermore he had no problem with passing on the baton stick.
I remember trying to get into academia and setting up a meeting.with him at the registrars office at the University of Zimbabwe. I got the appointment. He told me, ""Imbomira sonny. Pano panonetsa. "
We can only thank him for the consciousness.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity
Twitter: @TakuraZhangazha
