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The late Oscar Munyoro Katsukunya

Sydney Kawadza Harare Bureau—
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s former teacher, also believed to be Zimbabwe’s oldest person, has died aged 120. Oscar Munyoro Katsukunya, whose survival story made it into international newspapers, died in his sleep yesterday morning at his son’s house in Chitungwiza. Emmanuel said his father died from old age.

“He died today around 5AM. He was bed-ridden for the past year and we believe his death is due to old age. He complained of other ailments such as headaches or pain in his legs but at his advanced age we believe he has finally taken his place with God. He has rested,” Emmanuel said yesterday. Sekuru Katsukunya, whose exact age was a topic for debate when his story hit the newspapers, taught President Mugabe in 1931 at Kutama.

In March last year, the centenarian realised his dream to meet his iconic pupil during the St Xavier Kutama Mission Centenary Celebrations. Katsukunya’s national identity card states that he was born on November 12, 1907, making his official age 109.

However, his children have disputed the official age based on some of the events Katsukunya recalled and the colonial injustices that characterised his era especially on birth registrations. Katsukunya’s national identification card (48-011432-Z-48) was issued in 1959 by the colonial regime. The colonial system made it difficult for black people to register their births. Delayed birth registrations often led to innacurate information being entered.

In an interview last year, Katsukunya recalled incidents related to the Ndebele raids of the Mashonaland regions. The raids ended in the early 1890s with the Anglo-Ndebele war of 1893.

Katsukunya started school (Sub A) at St Benedict’s School in Mutoko when he was already a teen. He had worked on a farm for two years earlier. He subsequently enrolled for a teaching course at Kutama Catholic Mission in 1928 before graduating two years later.

The centenarian taught President Mugabe in 1931. He tied the knot with his wife Mariain in 1932. The couple had 12 children before the wife died in 2005. Katsukunya retired as a teacher in 1967 after 36 years. Emmanuel said Katsukunya’s burial is provisionally set for Friday in Mutoko.