adminHe was 53.
Dr Guga died after a short illness at his home in Malindela.
Hundreds of mourners gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral to bid farewell to a man whose life touched many in the city.
Speaker after speaker described Dr Guga as a man of the people who was humble and had his patients at heart.
Family spokesperson and brother, Mr Max Guga, said his brother’s death had left the family in grief.
“Chris had been ill for about three months but he had given us hope that he was getting well. During that time, he was in and out of hospital and two days before he died, he was short of breath,” said Mr Guga.
“We are in a lot of pain as the family as we have lost a pillar of strength.”
He said his brother had been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and had quit drinking. “He used to drink but at the time of his death he had already quit,” said Mr Guga.
An inconsolable Mrs Abby Guga, the wife, said she had to go out of her way taking her husband to specialists from the day he fell ill up to the time of his death. “I put my work aside and ran around taking him to specialists but he seemed not to fully recover. As if that was not enough, the Lord’s will prevailed and he took him away from us,” she said.
Mrs Guga said during the last days his relationship with their children became closer. “I believe he has gone to a better place but what I am most grateful for is that we can take his stay here as the last bonding session he had with his children,” she said.
Dr Guga’s daughter, Fisiwe, was full of praise for her late father, saying he put his children’s interests at heart.
In an interview, a colleague, Dr Anthony Mthombeni, said it was sad to lose such experienced personnel in the sector, which had seen many qualified doctors leaving the country for greener pastures.
“Dr Guga was a personal friend and we are gathered here to bid him farewell. He was very courageous and determined to serve the community of Bulawayo that is why he did not leave the country when others left,” said Dr Mthombeni.
Dr Guga was born on 8 October 1959 in Bulawayo and attended Mzilikazi Primary School.
He then went to the United States of America for his secondary education and later pursued a medical degree at Adelphi University in New York.
After graduation he worked as a medical doctor in several hospitals in the country such as Harare Hospital, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Beitbridge District Hospital and Gwanda Hospital before starting his own private practice in Bulawayo where he worked until his death.
Dr Guga is survived by a wife, five sons, two daughters and two grand children.
Online Reporter