Mrs Mercy Enow-Mbi Azoh-Mbi (51), Spouse of the Cameroon High Commissioner to South Africa, passed away on Sunday, July 02, 2023, at the Pretoria Heart Hospital, following a brief illness.
Mercy was born on September 02, 1972, to Mr John Egbe and Mrs Pauline Bessem Egbe of Mutengene, in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. She was the last of eight children. Their mother died rather early when Mercy was barely 15 years old. She was raised in the foster care of her older siblings who admired and adored her for her innate sense of responsibility, patience and peaceable nature.
After her primary and secondary education in Mutengene, Limbe and Yaoundé, she pursued graduate studies at the University of Yaoundé, where she earned a Master’s degree in Geology and the “Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies” (DEA).
In 2003, Mercy met and married Solomon Azoh-Mbi, a career diplomat, and the couple had two children: Paula-Aurelia Afeseh Azoh-Mbi (17) and Jay Mbeng Azoh-Mbi (15). She was a loving wife and mother with open hands and an open heart for all. She was graceful and generous, and loved entertaining people.
Following her husband’s appointment in 2008 as Cameroon’s High Commissioner to Canada, the family moved to Ottawa and, in 2020, relocated to South Africa upon Solomon’s reassignment as High Commissioner to Pretoria. As a diplomatic spouse, she contributed immensely in promoting Cameroon’s cultural diplomacy through multiple private and public engagements and receptions in Canada and South Africa.
After barely seven months in Canada, Mercy’s life would go through some cataclysmic changes from a misdiagnosed heart infection that almost claimed her life and left her a quadrilateral amputee of all four limbs. The compelling saga of her sickness, suffering and survival is chronicled in her newly released inspirational book entitled “Miracle of Mercy”, published in the United States of America on June 09, 2023, and available on Amazon.
Despite life’s challenges, Mercy remained indescribably radiant, ravishing and resplendent, refusing to grumble or to be grumpy. She was a humorous and happy soul, full of life, love and laughter. Behind her beguiling beauty and soft-spoken nature was a penchant for exuberance and excellence in everything she undertook. She was industrious and enterprising, setting up her own private small businesses.
In May 2018, Mercy established “The Mercy Azoh-Mbi Heart Foundation”, a Canada- based Charity that seeks to educate and prevent cardiovascular diseases. Her vision was to leverage her own experience as a survivor of heart disease to ensure that others do not suffer the same fate as her.
She is survived by her husband of twenty years, two children Paula and Jay; three stepchildren Apongho, Ariel and Vanessa; six siblings- Dr. Tom Agbor, Frida Agbor, Alice Tabemonso, Cecilia Besong, Sarah Etta, Prudencia Tataw; five agnate siblings and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.