MILDRED Maideyi Masunda (née Gaidzanwa) passed away suddenly on Thursday July 9, 2026 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at the age of 73 years.
She was born in Chiweshe and brought up in Bulawayo where her respective parents lived and worked. Her father Paul Gaidzanwa was employed by the City of Bulawayo’s housing and community services department as a leader in the youth clubs in various high-density suburbs.
Her mother, Ellen Gaidzanwa (née Moliba), started off as a primary school teacher in Bulawayo before she left during the early 1960s for the UK where she trained, qualified and worked as a nursing sister and midwife for a considerable length of time.
The late Gaidzanwa Masunda was the eldest in a family of four siblings comprising engineer Peter Gaidzanwa, professor Rudo Barbara Gaidzanwa and cross-sector managing consultant Moira Gaidzanwa.
After completing her primary school education in Bulawayo, she went to Regina Mundi High School in Gwayi.
Thereafter, she followed her mother’s footsteps and trained and qualified as a nursing sister at the iconic Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo. She then proceeded to the UK where she completed both nurse and midwifery training.
After working as a senior midwife in London for a few years, she returned home and worked in the emergency department at United Bulawayo Hospital until 1986 when she got married to the now late Mxolisi Albert Masunda, and joined him in Vancouver, Canada where they raised their two surviving grown up children, Tamirira and Sekai.
The late Gaidzanwa Masunda rendered exemplary and meritorious services as a very skilled perinatal nurse at Royal Columbian Hospital in Vancouver for over 30 years – successfully delivering thousands of babies over her career.
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At a memorial service that was held in her honour in Vancouver on Saturday July 25, 2026, she was described as an icon and glowing tributes were paid to her by, inter alia, her erstwhile colleagues representing countries from all over the world including Canada, China, Uganda, Kenya, Seychelles and the Caribbean Islands, among many others.
Affectionately known as “Aunty Boss” by relatives, she was a strong and caring leader in her family and community.
A very wise, intelligent and nurturing woman, she was a mother and advisor to many people across different continents – countless tributes have come from family and friends, as well as many young nurses that she mentored at Royal Columbian Hospital, leaving a positive impact on their lives.
Her body was repatriated from Canada to Zimbabwe on Thursday August 13, 2026 and laid to rest next to her beloved parents on Saturday August 15, 2026 at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare at a funeral that was thronged by many friends and relatives from Canada, America, the UK, as well as various parts of Zimbabwe.
She is sorely missed by family, friends and her army of nursing friends and colleagues.
Lalani ngokuthula MaDube. Zororai murugare MaDube. We pray for her departed soul to rest in eternal peace
*Muchadeyi Ashton Masunda is a senior legal practitioner and served as mayor of Harare from July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2013
