Prominent researcher and National University of Science and Technology (NUST) lecturer, Professor George Shava has died. He was 59.
Shava, who had been battling a heart ailment since 2016, collapsed and died on Saturday at his home in Bulawayo.
He was one of the few full professors at NUST who was instrumental in crafting policies around the training of high school teachers and implementing Education 5.0.
Speaking to the Chronicle on Sunday, at their family home at Lot 1, Beuna Vista, his widow, Nosizo Shava described her late husband as a loving person who was passionate about academic issues. She said:
We are saddened by the loss of our father, friend and grandfather who was so full of life. He was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2016 and has been on medication since then.
On Saturday after supper, he just collapsed and when we got to the hospital we received the bad news. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and the church.
A service was held on Monday at their home at 12 midday before the family left for Mberengwa where Prof Shava will be buried this Tuesday, 12 March.
Prof Shava joined NUST in 2011 as a lecturer and was promoted to senior lecturer, then associate professor and eventually a full professor.
NUST director of communication and marketing Thabani Mpofu said Prof Shava supervised several PhD students locally and regionally. He said:
He supervised several PhD students locally and regionally, and these include students from Zimbabwe Open University, the North West University in South Africa, the University of Namibia and NUST.
He was supervising three students at NUST currently and he externally supervised 17 PhD students from local and regional universities including the Tshwane University, University in Limpopo Northwest University in South Africa and some were from the University of Namibia.
We have lost a researcher and academic and we are poorer as NUST as he was an expert in technical engineering training and education which is key to implementing Education 5.0.
Prof Shava mentored many academics and was always willing to work with anyone. On behalf of the council chairperson, the Vice Chancellor, and the NUST family we would like to send our condolences to Shava, her family and friends.
We are at a loss of words and we will cherish the hard work that Prof Shava put in for our academic institution.
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