Anthony Mapaura
Anthony Mapaura was born on 13 August 1969 in Marondera, a small town about 80 km southeast of Harare in Zimbabwe. This is where he grew up and went to school. He started his education at Tapfuma Primary School and then went to Rakodzi and Marondera High Schools where he obtained his ‘O’ and ‘A’ level certificates. In 1991, after leaving Marondera High School, Anthony worked briefly as a teacher of General Science and Mathematics at Marondera Commercial College. In June 1991, he left his hometown to take up the post of Technical Assistant at the National Herbarium and Botanic Garden (SRGH) in Harare. He started his career at the entry level, doing small but essential herbarium tasks, such as making specimen covers, preparing specimens for mounting, and filing specimens. He moved on to more demanding tasks like plant identification, curation, and environmental education.
In 1994, Anthony enrolled at the Harare Polytechnic for a two-year diploma in Biological Technology, which he did part-time; he graduated in 1995. Whilst studying at the Polytechnic and working at the herbarium, Anthony attended various professional training courses. This allowed him to progress academically and professionally to the level of Research Technician.
Electronic gadgets at work have always fascinated Anthony. He was introduced to computers around 1995 and is now the Database Manager at SRGH. He has attended three SABONET Database courses on herbarium specimen databases, one of them as a demonstrator. Recently he completed a course on computer installation and maintenance. As a Database Manager, Anthony is responsible for managing the database of the National Herbarium and that of the Botanic Garden, training other staff members in the use of these databases, and providing the inhouse maintenance of the computers. Anthony’s role as the database manager for SRGH has meant that he was closely associated with SABONET from its inception. He has also attended other SABONET courses, such as the Grass Identification Course, Miombo Woodland Course, Herbarium Management and Plant Conservation Course, and Management of Seed Germplasm.
The benefits from the training courses, his pleasant personality, and the fact that he is a hard worker, have seen him coordinate two very important SABONET outputs for Zimbabwe—The Checklist of Vascular Plants and the Red Data List. Anthony has also been involved in a number of projects within and outside Zimbabwe. These include the Famine Food Plants of Maccosa and Tambara in Mozambique and the Zambezi Wetland Project.
His hobbies include visiting new places, spotting wildlife, watching videos, and finding out more about computers. His dream is of a world where humans will live in harmony with their environment.
Anthony is married to Caroline and is a father of two—Valentine, a boy, and Tanaka Michelle, a girl.
SABONET News 6.3: 158
