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LEONARD FANI CHIPOSI
1928—1993
DEEPLY SADDENED LOSS LEONARD CHIPOSI. LONG YEARS DEDICATED, UNSTINTING SERVICE INDELIBLY INSCRIBED ANNALS CAUSE GOD ZIMBABWE. FERVENTLY PRAYING HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS RADIANT SOUL ABHA KINGDOM.
Universal House of Justice October 15, 1993
eonard Fani Chiposi was born on September 8, 1928, in Chimanimani—a small scenic town in the Eastern Highlands onimbabwe. He was the second Child in a family of five brothers and four sisters. At a very early age his mother passed away, and his father remarried. Two of his brothers and one sister were born of his stepmother. The Chiposis were a Closely knit family; the aHection and the love among the brothers and sisters were apparent from the way they cared for each other. His was a
family of staunch Methodists and religious churCh—goers. Two of Leonard‘s brothers became church leaders, and Leonard testified that he might have followed the same path had he not found the Faith.
Owing to the colonial rule and the treatment ofindigenous people as second—class citizens, Leonard had to struggle to acquire an education. With great determination he managed to complete secondary school. Opportunities for university education were remote and out of the financial reach of his parents.
Leonard started his professional career as a teacher in Chimanimani before moving to Harare (then known as Salisbury), where he was employed in several white—collar jobs in the industrial and commercial sectors.
In Harare in 1955 he first heard about the Faith from Mr. Moses Makwaya, one of the country’s earliest believers and one of two indigenous believers who were members of the Local Spiritual Assembly established in April of that year.
A firm Methodist Leonard did not accept the Faith without resisting it for a while. However, deep in his heart he was touched by its teachings, and he continued to investigate. After attending a few meetings with Bahá’í friends, he was convinced and declared his Faith in Baha’u’llah in early 1956. He found the Faith to be the inspiration that he had been looking for, and he developed as an outstanding teacher and administrator. Within a short period of his acceptance, he became a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly as a result of a by—election. The following year he was elected chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Highfield, a suburban township of Harare.
In 1957 he was the first indigenous believer elected as one of the two delegates to represent Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia) at the Convention electing the
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IN MEMORIAM 1992—1997 89
Regional National Spiritual Assembly of South and South West Africa.
He used to talk about how the Faith and adherence to its teachings and principles helped him to progress in his professional career. Through sheet determination, hard work, and living the life ofa true Bahá’í, he gained the admiration and respect of his employers, and at the age of sixty he retired from the position of personnel officer at a highly reputable international firm—a position for which a university degree was normally a prerequisite. During the last few years of his life, he was occupied with his own business—a butchery shop and grocery store. His business flourished where others failed, owing to his fair dealings with customers who came from all segments of society.
For thirty—seven years Leonard served the Blessed Beauty. His administrative services included membership on the Area Teaching Committee of Southern Rhodesia and on the Regional Teaching Committee of Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe), often as its chair . man. In [970, at the National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Rhodesia, he was elected to its National Spiritual Assembly, which, with the exception ofa couple ofyears, he served until his last days.
He was often its Chairman or vice chairman, highly admired, loved, and respected by his fellow members. While he could not sing very well, he insisted that in Africa the singing of songs in Bahá’í gatherings was the source of inspiration for the believers. Because of this he was known as “the Singing Chairman.”
Twice he had the bounty of attending the International Convention (1983 and 1988) and of participating in the election of the Universal House ofjustice. In 1983 he was appointed by the House ofjustice as one of the tellers.
Leonard Fam' C/Jiptm'
On a few occasions Leonard, on his own initiative, took upon himself to travel teach and visit the Bahá’í friends in the remote rural areas. He was also effective in the field of public relations, dealing with cabinet ministers and high—ranking government officials. Many of the permanent secretaries in the government ministries knew him personally. Because he knew so many of the dignitaries, he was known as a walking “Who’s Who.”
Leonard suffered an occasional asthma attack; otherwise he was an active and healthy person. On October 10, 1993, he was taken to the hospital, suspected of having malaria. Around noon of that day, his pure and sanctified soul left the Cage of his physical body and soared to the Abhá Kingdom. His sudden loss was a great shock to the Bahá’í community in Zimbabwe, as well as to those friends in the surrounding countries who knew him from the days when the National Assembly served the entire southern African region.
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90 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD
He was survived by seven children from his three wives. His first wife, Mabel, was the first indigenous woman in Zimbabwe to declare her faith in Baha’u’llah in 1957. She passed away in 1958 at a very young age and had the honor ofbeing the first Bahá’í to be buried in the Bahá’í cemetery, which the City authorities allocated to the Faith. He and his second wife divorced owing to an irreconcilable situation. Gloria, his third wife, was with him at the time of his death. All three wives were Bahá’ís.
Leonard’s popularity and the love and respect he instilled in the hearts of people were evident at his funeral, attended by more than seven hundred of his friends and admirers, ranging from officials high in the government ministries to businessmen and customers, neighbors, and former co-workers.
