Dr. Tendai Mufaro is a Zimbabwean geologist and cultural preservationist born in Bulawayo. He studied Earth Sciences at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, earning his doctorate in 1976. His career focused on mineral mapping and tectonic studies across southern Africa, often working in remote and geologically complex regions.

In 1987, while conducting a routine geological survey in the Matobo Hills, Dr. Mufaro and his team uncovered a sealed cave containing eight scrolls inscribed in an unknown script later named Kiruform. Recognizing the cultural and spiritual significance of the find, and aware of the political sensitivities under President Robert Mugabe’s regime, he arranged for the scrolls to be quietly transported to a research facility in Mendoza, Argentina.

Dr. Mufaro is married to Nokuthula Mufaro, a retired schoolteacher and community advocate. Together they have six children and live quietly near Harare. Though he has never publicly discussed the discovery, his role in preserving the scrolls has been acknowledged by those involved in their eventual translation and release.