May you Rest in Eternal Peace Prof. Gaston.
You are missed.

Mon Ami, we shall forever miss your smile and humour. Your simple and detailed attributes will be missed. May you continue to rest in eternal peace.

Continue to rest in peace Prof. You will be greatly missed.

Eternal rest grant unto Gaston O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he continue to rest in peace. Amen.

You're still in our hearts Prof. Gaston,

Dear Professor Gaston Muzandu Kuzamunu,

Words cannot express the sadness that fills our hearts as we mourn your passing. Your presence will be deeply missed, and your memory will forever be cherished. Rest in peace

With deepest sympathy,

The world is not the same without you.
May you rest in eternal peace

Dear Dr Gaston,
Hearing such great things about you really affirm that you're a real and rare diamond! The world of H3ABioNET and computational biology has missed you. Keep resting Sir!

A l'occasion du premier anniversaire du décès de notre condisciple Gaston Mazandu Kuzamunu, je tiens, au nom de la promotion et en mon nom propre, de lui rendre hommage pour l'ensemble de son œuvre. Il avait de l'étoffe d'un panafricaniste pour l'éducation. Sans nul doute ses publications scientifiques continueront bien longtemps après son décès à honorer sa mémoire de par le monde. Que le Très Haut soit loué. Le CP de la promotion L2 Math 95-96 du Département de Mathématiques/Faculté des Sciences de l'Université de Kinshasa.

A year on, we still remember your legacies. Thanks for your impact!

Forever in our hearts...

Forever in our hearts sir!

"Eternal rest grant onto him O Lord, and may Your perpetual light shine upon him. May he continue to rest in peace. Amen."

Mon Cher Maz, c'est comme ça que j'ai appris à t'appeler lorsque nous construisîmes notre relation en Propédeutique Physique Mathématique de l'Université de Kinshasa. Toi et moi étaient devenus plus que des amis; des frères. Souviens toi en PPM, tu étais comme mon jumeau par la ressemblance de mon nom et ton post-nom Ta Persée dans la science n'était pas étonnante pour moi qui te connaissais très bien. J'ai eu très mal et j'ai reçu un coup d'apprendre ta disparition. Inconsolable, si tu pouvais m'écouter. Notre Dieu est souverain. Qu'il fasse de ton âme ce qu'il veut. Au revoir mon cher, je te reverrai par Jésus Christ.

Dearest Gaston,
We have received the news of your demise with the greatest sadness, disbelief and shock!
You have being more than a friend to us!
Forever, we will treasure the Science that you have shared with us!
May the Lord rest your soul in eternal peace in heaven!

We pray for your family to accept God's will.

RIP, my friend!

Gaston you will be truly missed by many.I first met Gaston in Cape Town for a Sickle Cell Disease Ontology meeting. He was so friendly and interested in the work I was doing. At that time I had just completed some genetic work at the division and he was so quick to offer me guidance on how to analyze my work. He said "Deo , this is very easy to do, share your data set and I look at it". This was Gaston everready to help . My condolences to your wife and children.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.

This is heartbreaking! What a beautiful person he was. Very approachable.
May God wrap His loving arms around the family and friends.
What a legend!

I can't find words to express for his life rather than he was cheerful person, committed and determined. His death leaves a mark to our lives. The outstanding memory will leave in me is during the SaDaCC site visit in Tanzania where i had a chance to work with him in person. I won't forget his training on data management at Sickle Cell Programme, MUHAS. Gaston was a very humble man.

We'll surely miss him.

May God comfort SickleInAfrica through this tough time.

I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family, colleagues and students of Prof Gaston Mazandu. It was heartbreaking to learn of his untimely passing. Although I met him only at a few meetings, it was clear to me that he was a brilliant researcher and teacher. It was also clear that he was a kind, humble, compassionate individual. He will be greatly missed.

An accomplished Savant has gone. My brother Gaston you will be missed. 

Dr Gaston K. Mazandu excelled in teaching, mentoring, and research. He contributed greatly to the education of hundreds of African scientists.

I would like to extent my deepest condolences to the family, students, and colleagues of Dr Gaston all over the world! His presence will surely be missed by all of us.

"It was with a very heavy heart that I have learned about the tragic passing of Dr Kuzamunu Gaston Mazandu on the 24th September 2021.
Dr Mazandu was undoubtfully the best student that I had taught whilst lecturing in the Department of Computer science at Stellenbosch University. Dr Mazandu completed his MSc degree cumlaude in 2005 under my supervision before joining the bioinformatics research group at the University of Cape Town (UCT) for his PhD. While at Stellenbosch University, we pioneered work on wireless sensor networks within our Telkom CoE research group that led to a paper entitled "Energy constrained multipath routing in wireless sensor networks" which has been cited 128 times as of today. Looking at the quality of his recent research outputs, one would recognize that a giant in the field of bioinformatics has unfortunately left us too soon.
May Dr Mazandu rest in peace. We will always miss his kindness, wisdom and intelligence.

Gaston was a smart and caring colleague, as well as person. Always happy to help, work and problem solve, and with great skills for doing so. I am very sad to hear of his passing---he will be greatly missed.

There are good mentors, and there are extraordinary ones... Dr Gaston K. Mazandu was one of the latter. I remember when he went above and beyond as we worked overnight while he was trying to help me debug a code a few days before essay submission.

Dear Gaston, your kindness and your eternal smile will never be forgotten. I am grateful for your contribution in shaping my mind and those of so many others who went through AIMS South Africa. We will carry on and keep being inspired by your passion and dedication to science and educating the African child.

Rest in eternal peace Gaston and may the Almighty God comfort your family and loved ones.

I only knew you for a few months but what you taught me will forever remain with me.

May your soul rest in perfect peace

I still cannot believe that you are no more with us. You guided me throughout my masters studies. You were always there to help no matter your busy schedule. All I can say is "Thank you".
Thank you for being a springboard in my life.
Thank you for all the exposure and connections.
Thank you for the countless impact you have had on my life.
Thank you for the time well spent together trying to solve cancer problems.
Thank you for the smiles and lovely moments together.
Thank you for excellence.
I still do not know why you called me friend but Thank you for calling me friend.
Forever in my heart.

Samuel.

Dear Gaston,

I shed tears and couldn't believe the news that you are no longer with us. You were more of a father to me than a supervisor. I always called you a rare breed. Because your talent was coupled with Ubuntu and the best sense of humor. I'm fortunate to have met you and this meeting changed my life. Thank you for the wisdom you gave me.

May your good soul RIP.

Gaston, gone too soon brother. I learnt a lot working with you. I will always cherish your commitment, patience and calmness even during tough times. May your soul rest in eternal peace. We will always celebrate you!!

I will forever miss you indeed Gaston, the memories of you teaching me how to write optimal, sustainable and reusable code are still fresh in my mind and your smile that would instill hope in your students especially when the going got tough with studies. You were indeed special. Rest In Peace brother!

Dear Gaston ,

Your kindness and your extraordinary contribution to junior researchers will be forever remembered. It was just an honor to have known you.



Till we meet again, rest in eternal peace Dr. Gaston. 

You are gone too soon Gaston.... May your soul Rest in Eternal Peace, amen

May his family and all SADaCC team be comforted during this trying time..

Dear brother Gaston

Ever since we met for the first time as classmates at AIMS, I have always been fascinated by your humility, dedication at work, talent and sense of humour. I am thankful for the time we shared together with your beautiful family and I am thankful to God that I have met you and learnt from you.
This is it! I can't believe I am writing to you in the past! May your soul rest in peace brother .

The death of Gaston is for me still a shock and I believe, will remain a dream that we however could not get out of it. Gaston inspired me that we Africans have what it takes to transform Africa through Sciences and we have dreams encapsulated for example in AMPBioNet. I have lost a colleague and a friend. A son of Africa!

What a loss of a true "gentle"man and a scholar so willing to share his knowledge with humility and kindness. I will miss his warm smile and laughter but the inspiration of his genuine desire to always do the best for others will be a reminder that he left his mark in the best possible way. May you rest in peace and light, Gaston.
Sincere condolences to family and friends.

Dear Gaston,
Your passing was very unfortunate. It feels like yesterday when we could hear you crack jokes during AIMS lunch breaks. And those jokes lit up our spirits often. The world has not only lost a good man but also a great researcher! You are irreplaceable! Rest in glory, sir.
Till we meet again!

Thank you for all your contributions to scientific research. You will surely be missed. Rest in peace Dr. Gaston.

Dr. Gaston, wherever my career paths leads, you will remain one of the giants on whose shoulders I stand on. Fare thee well Sir, until we meet again...

Eternal rest grant onto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

I'm not sure how to do this. How can I try and describe someone so special in plain old words? And, how can I possibly sum up the feelings and memories I have for Prof Gaston Kuzamunu Mazandu in one tribute? It’s almost impossible.

 I’ve received so many messages this week and have heard from many people from many places saying “there are no words” – well, there are. There are words.

There are words of happiness about the treasured time we all had with Gaston, albeit too brief. There are words of beauty to describe his individuality and how he always looked. There are words of sorrow to try and communicate what we are feeling now that he has left us.

But maybe most of all there are words of strength, of hope, of power, of resilience and of tender love. Words that can bring us all together, to cross these choppy waters and come out the other side, better for it.

For me Gaston was a fiery spark full of love and determination.  He was smart, challenging, empathetic and encouraging. He always looked to grow; to better himself as a person and a professional. 

I’ll leave you with a Roald Dahl quote from The Boy in The Witches

“It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you”

Sometimes love is all we have and sometimes it is all that matters.

Gaston, you departed this terrestrial planet too soon! Rest in peace.

Gaston and I worked together on his favourite topic- ontologies, but I also had the chance to talk with him 1-on-1 on a few occasions. I found that he was always warm and friendly, patient and jovial Always willing to help. Our interactions have left an indelibly pleasant imprint on me. My his soul Rest In Peace and God grant him eternal rest.

You were a kind person and respected everyone. Your contribution towards science is exceptional even though we met for a short time but will always remember your dedication and contribution to us young scientists. May you rest in peace.

Dearest Gaston,
You were such an excellent lecturer - patient, kind and engaging. Your laugh was infectious and your kindness emanated always. Thank you for all your encouragement over the years.
You will be sorely missed. May you rest in peace.

Dear Gaston

Thank you for the contribution you made to our work. We will miss your work as a scientist, we will miss the dignified and considered inputs to our discussions and we will miss working with you as a colleague and someone who always treated people with great respect. From all your friends at Wits.

Dear Gaston,
We will remember you as a sweet, calm, super intelligent person, an excellent researcher and professor. It was a privilege to meet and be with you in the meetings we were together.
May your family be comforted in God's love and may you rest in peace! Receive this message from your Brazilian friends,
Miriam, Mina and Anna Barbara.

I was informed this morning that Prof Gaston passed away last Saturday. It is very sad news. A great loss for the scientific community.
He supported me a lot during my stay in Cape Town and continued to correspond with me until the day before the last genetics meeting. I ignored that he was ill. I must haved tired him a lot. I regret his death.
I know your sympathy for him. I send you my condolences and I pray for the rest of his soul. May he rests in peace!

Gaston, this is truly devastating news, we still had so much science to do together! I will remember you for your kindness and amazing intelligence. All the best to your family and friends.

Gaston, you left us too soon. From you I learnt humility and dedication. May your soul rest in peace.

What a great loss this is, We are keeping family and friends in our prayers. May the good Lord grant all of us comfort and strength.

Rest in Power Prof Gaston Kuzamunu Mazandu.

It was wonderful knowing you Gaston since you joined HumGen. We had discussions from science to personal dreams and plans. We had wonderful chats during our drives home. You were such as a wonderful and humble soul with plans and vision. Your death is as shocking and surprising and our minds still can comprehend that you are no more. Wish you a peaceful journey to the other side and you will forever be remembered.

On my first day at UCT in 2019 as an intern, you wasted no time in showing me what amazing person you were. I will never forget how confident you made me feel during the presentation of my work to you. Your words of encouragement and your laughter are amongst the many wonderful things about you that will be sorely missed. Thank you for your impact on my career. I was so looking forward to accomplishing a lot with you, but God had a better plan I guess.

Rest in peace Prof Gaston

Gaston, I watched you grow from PhD student to Postdoc to senior academic. So much talent, yet such humility. We worked together through all these phases of your career and I was constantly blown away by your intelligence, knowledge and skills. Your kindness, gentleness and loyalty are qualities I will always remember and I will cherish all the times we had. You will always be remembered for your dedication to CBIO, H3ABioNet and SADaCC but also how you touched so many of us in different ways. May you rest in peace.