Staff and students at Kent Law School have paid tribute to an “incredibly gifted” law lecturer following his sudden death over the weekend.
Dr Alex Tawanda Magaisa, 46, died of a heart attack on Sunday 5 June, the law school confirmed in a statement. He joined the academic team at Kent in 2007 and taught subjects including public, company and contract law.
Magaisa is also hailed “a lion-heart” and “a hero” for his work in his homeland of Zimbabwe. He was a key advisor to the constitutional select committee that helped draft a new constitution that became law in 2013, and was principal advisor to the country’s Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.
Magaisa previously worked as a consultant at international law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner, now Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, according to his LinkedIn.
In a statement, Professor Lydia Hayes, head of Kent Law School, described Magaisa as an “incredibly gifted teacher and formidable academic writer”.
“For 15 years he has inspired colleagues and students alike,” she said. “He was warm, gentle, kind and charming — a true gentleman — yet passionate and sharp minded, a considerable intellect. We will miss him greatly.”
Many students, both past and present, shared messages of condolences following the sad news of his passing.
“He was one of the very few teachers that cared for each of his students individually,” one wrote. “He was a kind man that took his time to make everyone he knew feel valued.”
Another said: “Dr. Alex was funny, kind, compassionate, and understanding. Especially every time I was late [for] class, he was understanding. Everytime no one said a word in class, he broke the ice. He will forever be a part of my university experience. RIP.”
