Sapana Abui, Director General for Information and Compliance at the Media Authority, died late on Saturday at a hospital in Juba after a short illness, his family said. He was a veteran public servant who previously held senior positions in government before joining the country’s media regulator.
Abui died at 11:48 p.m. after nearly two weeks in hospital, his brother, the Rev. Repent Abraham Dominic, told Eye Radio on Sunday.
“He passed away yesterday at 11:48 p.m. He had been under treatment since June 23 until the day that he passed on,” Rev. Abraham said.
Rev. Abraham said Abui developed complications linked to high blood pressure on June 22 before collapsing twice the following day, first in a bathroom and later while being taken for treatment. He said the falls left him with injuries to his chest and neck.
According to Rev. Abraham, Abui underwent a series of medical examinations, including CT scans, before doctors performed surgery on June 27.
He said Abui initially responded well to treatment and was moved from the intensive care unit to a general ward.
However, his condition deteriorated several days later as his blood pressure remained persistently high despite treatment.
A CT scan conducted on Saturday showed the surgery had been successful and found no complications related to the operation, Rev. Abraham said.
Later that evening, Abui lost consciousness and was transferred back to the intensive care unit, where medical staff were unable to revive him.
Abui served for decades in public administration, governance and media regulation. Before joining the Media Authority, he served as Deputy Governor of Western Equatoria State and concurrently as the state’s Minister of Commerce, Trade and Investment under former Governor Bangasi Bakosoro.
He also served as acting governor on several occasions.
Earlier in his career, Abui worked with humanitarian organisations and was active in church ministry.
and then