Lubumbashi: Alidor Kapend, one of the oldest Congolese inspectors, died aged 94 on Friday.

On Friday, August 4, 2023, the late Chief Inspector of the Primary Education Pool for the Lubumbashi 1 Educational Subdivision, Alidor Kapend Rubing, who passed away on July 30 at the age of 94, was laid to rest with dignity at the Rivière des Anges cemetery in Kasangiri, Lubumbashi, in Haut-Katanga. Throughout his career, the distinguished deceased distinguished himself through his loyal and dedicated service to the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education. Everyone—members of the provincial government, educational authorities, friends, acquaintances, and immediate family—gathered at the Kiwele esplanade to pay him his well-deserved respects. In his eulogy, the director of the Haut-Katanga 1 educational province said he was mourning the loss of a baobab tree and a mentor to many. “I mourn a great baobab tree who has left us. A man who trained many inspectors and teachers. He was a man of rigor, a hard worker, punctual, and above all, a walking encyclopedia for the ESPT sub-sector. He was part of the first cohort to work with the Europeans. A great historian of the ESPT. My presence at this funeral is an expression of my gratitude for all that he meant to us,” said Director Joseph Mwinkeu Tshiend, on behalf of his educational province. Originally from Ruund, the late Alidor Kapend Rubing was from the village of Musumba, Kapanga territory, Lualaba province. He was born in Musumba on January 25, 1930. In the condolence book, it is clearly written that he was “the most punctual man from the start of his career until he was arrested.” Having been involved in education since the colonial era, in 1953, Alidor Kapend was appointed inspector in 1958. He was named principal regional inspector in 1978, then chief inspector of the Lubumbashi pool in 1985, a position he held until his last breath. It should be noted that it was through him that the Haut-Katanga 1 educational province purchased the Grana building, which was to house the EPST offices. It was also through his efforts that the overseeing ministry secured the equipment, the opening, and the handover of the Salama Institute to the Salesians in 1975. Dan de Dieu Kayanda