NAC manager dies
NATIONAL Aids Council Manicaland provincial manager, Mr Laurence Nhau Kupara, who died last Saturday at Baines Avenue Hospital, received an emotional send off during his burial at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare on Tuesday.
A church service was held at his parents’ home in Glen Norah A, where thousands of people braved the rainy weather to bid farewell to their loved one. Kupara’s sister, Rachel, described him as a unifying force in the family.
“It came as a blow to us as he was a pillar of hope and unity in the Kupara family. It is really disheartening that he is gone,” she said.
“He was the only son in our family. Our brother was diagnosed with sleep apnea. His health started deteriorating some three months ago. We advised him to get medical treatment. In September, he went to South Africa for treatment. He got treated but there was no change. He struggled with breathing and was then referred to an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) doctor who recommended an operation. The operation was done on Thursday and he looked very well after the operation. We were then informed that his condition deteriorated early hours of Saturday and he failed to make it,” she said.
National Aids Council Chief Executive Officer, Tapiwa Magure said the loss did not only affect the Kupenya family but the entire NAC family.
“I have known Kupara since 2001 while he was still with the Ministry of Health and Childcare. He then joined NAC in 2005 as the Provincial Program Officer for Mashonaland East. He got promoted in 2006 as Manicaland Provincial manager. He was a team player who used to tap in everyone’s ideas. He mobilised a lot of extra resources for various districts. It is a big blow to us. We were expecting him back in office but it was very unfortunate that we have lost him. As NAC we are saddened by his untimely death,” said Mr Magure.
Manicaland acting provincial manager Mr Sibert Hlatywayo said Kupara contributed greatly to reduce HIV prevalence rate in the province.
“Manicaland province had high HIV prevalence rate and now it is at 11 per cent and below that of the country which is at 14.6 per cent. This happened through his leadership. He had the province at heart. We feel we have been robbed of a father figure,” he said.
Kupara was born in 1967 in Harare. He was the second and only son in a family of seven. He attended Rusvingo Government School for his primary education before enrolling at Kwayedza Secondary School for his secondary education. He did a diploma in Environmental Health Technology at Harare Poly. He also did a degree in Public Heath at University of Zimbabwe. He later did a masters degree at Chinhoyi University. Kupara is survived by his wife Gracious Kupara, a teacher at Chivhu Primary School, three daughters, Junoti, Lawrita, Tsitsi, son Sydney and two grandsons Takunda and Laurence junior.