During a requiem mass before he was laid to rest at his home in Kicukiro, several mourners described the late Bertin Makuza as a man who leaves behind a legacy of love and care, of hard work and patriotism. 

Death ends a life, not a relationship, author Mitchell David Albom once said. How apt this is to the family, friends and former professional colleagues of the late Bertin Makuza before his journey on earth ended early last week.

The city tycoon breathed his last after succumbing to liver disease, according to family.

During a requiem mass, yesterday, before he was buried at his home in Kicukiro, several mourners, including members of the family, friends and former workmates in the Private Sector Federation (PSF), described his death as a "huge loss that has left a big gap hard to fill.”

The mass was led by Monsignor Philip Rukamba, the bishop of Butare Diocese and president of the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda, who described death as the path to heaven for all Christians.

The event, at Regina Pacis in Remera, was attended by hundreds of mourners, including top government officials, and military and police officers.

Makuza died at King Faisal Hospital, aged 73. He is survived by a wife and six children.

Makuza is the owner of Rwanda Foam Ltd, manufacturers of mattresses and other bedding materials.

He owned Makuza Peace Plaza, a new landmark building in downtown Kigali, built at a tune of $42 million (about Rwf30 billion).

To the family, he leaves the legacy of love and care, a legacy of hard work and patriotism.

"It is not easy to speak at these moments after losing a loving parent,” said Robert Makuza, one of the deceased’s children, who spoke on behalf of the family.

"Our father was a loving parent, he was a father who loved the family and sacrificed for the entire family, he loved everyone, he was a hardworking man and hated laziness, and he was very patriotic too,” Robert added.

"Our father lived in the country during hard and good times. He worked hard in both situations. He must be happy to have left the country in a better place,” Robert said, hailing all the people who stood with them during the mourning period.

He especially hailed the Government and the First Family for the support extended to the bereaved family.

To the business community and PSF, in particular, Makuza leaves the legacy of persistence, innovation, leadership.

According to the several accounts, Makuza was a pillar of the country’s business growth.

Before the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Makuza was a businessman.

He is the founder of Atelier Mechanique General du Rwanda (AMAGERWA), which manufactured metals and other furniture.

In unfavourable working conditions before the Genocide, Makuza is credited to have been daring.

He formed an association bringing together industries. The association of industries later transformed to the PSF, which he also led for five years.

After the Genocide, Makuza led a group of businesses to form COGEAR, an insurance company, now Prime Insurance, and later founded Compagnie Générale de Banque Limited (COGEBANQUE).

"I lived with him in different times, hard and good times, he was a very nice man. He was a man with integrity, he groomed me to become a top businessman and his activities had an impact to the business community and to the entire nation,” said Jacques Rusirare, of Ameki Colour Ldt.

After the Genocide, Makuza and Rusirare, both survivors, played a role in promoting unity through Rotary Club, to which they subscribed.

"He was a very special man and the legacy he leaves behind should be followed and we should strive to achieve what he had not been able to achieve,” Rusirare added.

For Benjamin Gasamagera, PSF chairperson, Makuza was an outstanding businessman whose legacy will always remain.

He founded Rwanda Foam when there were few manufacturing plants in the country and promoted Made-in-Rwanda at early age, he said.

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