Safina Mwaka, a 22-year-old Zambian graduate of Rwandan refugee heritage, was buried at Mitumbi Cemetery on October 8, 2026, just six days after walking across the stage to collect her university degree.
On Friday, October 2, Safina attended Cavendish University Zambia’s 19th graduation ceremony at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre’s KK Wing.
Which course did Safina pursue?
Director of ceremonies Derrick Mwape called out her name before a proud audience, announcing, “Safina Mwaka with credit,” as she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Banking and Finance. For her family, it was the realisation of a dream built on decades of hardship and survival.
Safina was born in Zambia to parents of Rwandan origin who had fled their country as refugees.
The harrowing details of their escape and survival were among the accounts officially documented in the 2010 United Nations Mapping Report, a comprehensive record of the grave dangers endured by those caught in the region’s devastating conflict.
Graduation moment at Mulungushi International Conference Centre
Against that backdrop, Safina grew up carrying the weight of her family’s greatest hopes.
Her academic journey was the fullest expression of everything her parents had sacrificed to give her a better life.
The graduation moment at Mulungushi International Conference Centre was meant to be a beginning, a launchpad for the future she had worked so hard to reach.
When did Safina lose her consciousness?
Tragically, that celebratory Friday would be the last milestone her family would share with her.
According to posts shared on social media, Safina reportedly lost consciousness on October 4 and passed away, leaving those closest to her in complete shock.
The cause of her death was not publicly disclosed.
Classmates, friends and relatives gather at Mitumbi Cemetery
Jean Serge Mandela, who shared news of her burial on Facebook, described the transition from celebration to mourning as one that had left her family and university community deeply heartbroken.
Classmates, friends and relatives gathered at Mitumbi Cemetery to say their final goodbyes, mourning a young woman whose life, though brief, stood as a testament to extraordinary resilience.
Safina leaves behind a legacy shaped not only by her own academic achievement but by the remarkable story of a family that refused to be broken by history.
