Remembering Prof. Maxi Schoeman: A Teacher of Life, Love, and Humanity

This is a tribute to Prof. Maxi Schoeman, a founding member of the APN and Next Gen Advisory Board, who recently passed away on September 14, 2025. The tribute is written by Ruth Murambadoro (APN IRF 2022, Next Gen 2015 – 2018). The full tribute is linked below on Kujenga Amani.

I usually put my phone on silent when I go to bed to ensure I am not disturbed by messages that come through from family and colleagues abroad, given our time zone differences. As with most days, after waking up on Monday, September 15th, I checked my phone to see if there were any pressing conversations I needed to respond to, so I would not get consumed by other activities and miss out.

There I was, going through my WhatsApp messages, when I noticed a text from my former collegemate, friend, colleague, and sister, Toyin Ajao:
Hi sis, howdy? Have you heard, Prof. Schoeman passed away.

My shock was palpable, so I dismissed it at first. The news of Maxi’s passing was not something I ever imagined I would wake up to. Its suddenness quickly reminded me of the pain I felt when my mother passed away in January 2018—the same week I had received news of passing my PhD final examination. In that moment, I felt incredibly vulnerable, reflecting on what had been lost with Maxi’s transition and wondering how this void could ever be repaired.

Please read the rest of the tribute on Kujenga Amani.