Emmerson Mnangagwa
Encyclopedia
Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (born 15 September 1946) is a Zimbabwe
an politician who has been Minister of Defense since February 2009. He was previously Minister of State Security from 1982 to 1988, then Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs until 2000; he was Speaker of Parliament from July 2000 to 2005 and Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities from April 2005 to February 2009.
Mnangagwa is considered one of the most powerful figures in the ruling ZANU-PF party, head of the Joint Operations Command
and a leading candidate to succeed President Robert Mugabe
. He was ZANU-PF's Secretary of Administration from July 2000 to December 2004 and has been its Secretary for Legal Affairs since December 2004.
in 1955 where he completed Standard 4.
He successfully completed his standard 5 and 6 at Mumbwa Boarding School from 1956–1957 and enrolled at Kafue Trade School for a Building course. Although it was a three year course, he was selected to enter Hodgson Technical College. Since the college only accepted applicants with "O" Levels, he sat for an entry examination and came out with a first class. This enabled him to enroll for a four year City and Guilds Industrial Building Course. He and other members were subsequently expelled from college in 1960 for political activism which led to the burning of some property. He had joined the UNIP student movement at the college and had already been elected into the executive.
He completed his 'O' and 'A' levels while in prison through correspondence following which he enrolled for a law degree. He wanted to register for a BSc Economics degree but was instead, allowed to do the Law degree. He successfully completed Part One of the Intermediate Exams at Khami prison and passed at his first seating. He sat for the final exams and passed again. In 1972 he sat for his final LLB examinations with the University of London
.
After his release from prison and subsequent deportation to Zambia
, the Party resolved that he should complete his Law Degree first and so he enrolled at the University of Zambia
where he remained from 1973 to 1974. In 1975, he did his post-graduate LLB degree and another post programme in Advocacy. After successfully completing his law studies, he was admitted to the Bar of the High Court of Zambia in 1976.
Regarded as the wealthiest individual in Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa has close business links with Col.Lionel Dyck,http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/jan16a_2003.html#link3 a white officer from the old Rhodesian Army who founded Mine Tech http://www.minetech.co.uk, a landmine clearance company that secured lucrative contracts from the Zimbabwe government to clear landmines in Zimbabwe border areas after the war. Through Dyck, he has direct links with the heart of the British establishment as Mine Tech is now owned by the British company Exploration Logistics http://www.exlogs.com whose Chairman is Alastair Morrison OBE, MC. Morrison is a former equerry of HRH The Duke of Gloucester and a former 2ic. of 22 SAS. Mine Tech now has substantial UN and UK/EU contracts as well as its on-going Zimbabwe operations.
where he became Secretary for the UNIP Youth League while working for a private company.
In 1962 he was recruited into ZAPU by Willie Musarurwa
. After joining ZAPU, he left for Tanzania
and stayed in Mbeya
for quite some time with the likes of James Chikerema
, Clement Muchachi and Danha. They then opened a camp for ZAPU up to March 1963.
He then left for Dar es Salaam
in April 1963 and, together with 12 other cadres, proceeded to Egypt
for military training at the Heliopolis Training School.
In August 1963 he and 10 of the 13 cadres decided to join ZANU which had just been formed at home. This led to their detention by Egyptian authorities who recognized ZAPU.
During the detention period, he communicated with Mugabe
who was in Tanzania
at the time and told him that 11 students had broken away from ZAPU, stopped training and were now detained. Mugabe sent Trynos Makombe who was traveling from China
to come to Egypt to secure their release. After getting released, they were given tickets to fly to Tanganyika
.
On arrival in Tanganyika, six of the eleven came back to Rhodesia
while the remaining 5 including Mnangagwa joined the first Frelimo Camp at Bagamoyo
in late August 1963. He then proceeded to China leading a group of five ZANLA cadres where they spent the first two months at the School of Ideology in Beijing
. They then underwent infantry training for 3 months in Nanking and then attended another school for military engineering for the next 2 months. The group consisted of Felix Santana, Robert Garachani, Lloyd Gundu, Phebion Shonhiwa, and John Chigaba. After completing military training in May 1964, they went back to Tanganyika, where they found that John Mataure and Noel Mukono who were responsible for defence at the time, had not organized any weapons for them to operate in the then Southern Rhodesia
.
The group was rushing to attend the ZANU Congress in Mkoba, Gweru
, sometime in May 1964 and so they traveled via Northern Rhodesia to Southern Rhodesia. They arrived a day before the Congress. The results of the election were as follows:
Following the ZANU Congress, three of his colleagues, i.e. Shoniwa, Jameson Mudavanhu and Edison Shirihuru were captured and arrested. He sent Lawrence Svosve to go back to Lusaka
with some messages but never saw him again.
In spite of this setback, he remained in operation and joined up with Matthew Malowa who had trained in Egypt and had joined ZANU. They carried out daring operations in the country. Their major task was to recruit people from Harare
, Masvingo
(then Fort Victoria), Mberengwa and Macheke and walk them through to the Mutoko
border so that they could go to Tanzania through Malawi
.
It was during these operations that he and Malowa blew up a locomotive train in Fort Victoria. The leadership at Sikombela had sent the duo a message exhorting them to take some action so that the papers would report that it was the ZANU Military High Command which had done it. The cuttings would then be shown to the OAU Liberation Committee which was meeting in Dar es Salaam so that it would know that ZANU was actually active in the country. The blowing up of the locomotive enabled Chitepo and those outside to show that it was not only ZAPU which was active but ZANU as well.
The operations also involved traversing the country on foot from Mberengwa
to Mutoko. It was at this stage that William Ndangana came from Lusaka for a meeting at Rev Ndabaningi Sithole
's house in Highfield. It organized a group which included himself, William Ndangana, Victor Mlambo, James Dhlamini and Master Tresha to mount some roadblocks. The group, which is often referred to as the 'Crocodile Gang', killed a white farmer known as Peter Obeholzar at Nyanyadzi in Chimanimani. The incident resulted in the capture and subsequent hanging of James Dhlamini and Victor Mlambo. Ndangana was able to escape to Zambia while the young man was captured but was sentenced to life imprisonment because he was under age.
In January 1965, Mnangagwa was captured by Police Inspector Beans, Bradshaw and Smith while at Michael Mawema's house in Highfield after being sent on a mission. It later turned out that Micheal Mawema himself had sold him out. In fact, one of Mnangagwa's comrades, John Chigaba, was later arrested by police after attempting to stab Mawema with a knife, in revenge for Mnangagwa's arrest. He was then brought to Harare Central Police Station where he was tortured severely resulting in him losing his sense of hearing in one ear
. Part of the torture techniques involved being hanged with his feet on the ceiling and the head down. The severity of the torture made him unconscious for days.
He was forced to confess that he had blown up the locomotive in Masvingo
and was convicted under the Law and Order Maintenance Act. He was defended by J. J. Horn of Scanlen and Holderness who pleaded that he was under age and could not be executed. Following this, he was taken to hospital where doctors confirmed that he was under 21 and as a result, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He served the first year at Harare Prison and then went to Grey Prison following which he was sent to Khami Prison where he spent 6 years and 8 months.
After serving his 10 year sentence, he was further detained at Khami and then at Harare Prison together with other Nationalists like Robert Mugabe
, Enos Nkala
, Maurice Nyagumbo
, Edgar Tekere
and Didymus Mutasa
. He was then deported to Zambia where his parents were.
Mnangagwa was received by the Party at the Livingstone Border post and handed over to the Zambian police. A ZANLA representative, Baya, came to receive him at the Victoria Falls Bridge and proceeded with him to Lusaka. Josiah Tongogara
was Commander of ZANLA.
After completing his studies at the University of Zambia, he practiced law with Enoch Dumbutshena
and doubled up as Secretary for ZANU for the Zambia Division in Lusaka. He was also in the student board for politics at the University of Zambia.
At the Chimoio Congress in 1977, he was elected Special Assistant to the President and member of the National Executive for ZANU. He then left practice and joined the President around October 1977 in Chimoio. The post of Special Assistant meant that he was head of both the civil and military divisions of the Party. His number 2 was Gava (now Retired General Zvinavashe) who was Head of Security in the Military High Command but was his deputy in the Central Committee in the Department of Security.
He participated in the Lancaster House Conference and in January 1980, led the first group of civilian leaders which included Didymus Mutasa and Eddison Zvobgo from Maputo to Zimbabwe. Rex Nhongo
(now Retired General Mujuru) also led the first group of commanders numbering 28 from Maputo to the ceasefire.
left the country under dubious circumstances related to making plans for a coup, he took over as Chairman of the Joint High Command. The task involved responsibility for the integration of ZANLA, ZIPRA
and Rhodesian Army
. From 1988 to 2000, he was Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Leader of the House. This was the period following the Unity Accord. He was appointed Acting Minister of Finance for 15 months from 1995 to 1996 and was also Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs for a short period. His tenure as Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs saw him setting up the Judicial College and the Small Claims Court to address the critical shortage of magistrates, prosecutors and other judicial officers in the country. He also introduced several amendments to various Acts and the Constitution.
Mnangagwa was defeated in the 2000 parliamentary election by Blessing Chebundo
of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Kwekwe
constituency, but Mugabe appointed him to one of the unelected seats in Parliament. Following the election, he was elected as Speaker of Parliament on July 18, 2000. It was during his time as Speaker of Parliament that the UN investigation into illegal exploitation of natural resources from the Congo recommended a travel ban and financial restrictions upon him for his involvement in making Harare a significant illicit diamond trading centre. In the March 2005 parliamentary election, he was again defeated by Chebundo in Kwekwe, and Mugabe again appointed him to an unelected seat. His campaign manager blamed this defeat on the Mujuru faction, saying that it had "manipulated the situation" so that the MDC could win the seat and thereby undermine Mnangagwa. In the March 2008 parliamentary election
, he stood as ZANU-PF's candidate in the new Chirumanzi–Zibagwe rural constituency and won by an overwhelming margin, receiving 9,645 votes against two MDC candidates, Mudavanhu Masendeke and Thomas Michael Dzingisai, who respectively received 1,548 and 894 votes.
Mnangagwa was Mugabe's chief election agent during the 2008 presidential election
, and it was reported that he headed Mugabe's campaign behind the scenes. When a national unity government was sworn in on February 13, 2009, Mnangagwa became Minister of Defense.
His rise to power began as a young man, when he helped direct Zimbabwe's 1970s war of independence
and later became the country's spy-master during the 1980s civil conflict. He worked closely with Dan Stannard http://www.news.scotsman.com/latestnews/The-secret-Zimbabwe-policemans-cricket.2398697.jp, who was one of the few whites who remained in the Zimbabwean secret service, CIO, after the departure of Ken Flower.
On December 17, 2004, he lost his post as Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration and was instead named Secretary for Legal Affairs, in what was considered a demotion. As Secretary for Administration he had been able to place his supporters in key party positions. The move followed reports that Mnangagwa had been campaigning too hard for the post of vice-president, backed by his close ally, former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo
. Mugabe sacked Moyo from both his party and government posts. The President has instead reportedly become alarmed at the activities of Joyce Mujuru
, who got the vice-president's job, and her powerful husband, former army chief Solomon Mujuru
.
, and Air Vice Marshal Elson Moyo
.
According to the government the soldiers planned on forcibly removing President Robert Mugabe from office and asking Rural Housing Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa to form a government with the heads of the armed forces. The government first heard of the plot when a former army officer who opposed the coup contacted the police in Paris, France, giving them a map and a list of those involved. Mnangagwa and State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa both said they did not know about the plot, Mnangagwa calling it "stupid."
Some analysts have speculated that rival successors to Mugabe, such as former Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army leader Solomon Mujuru, may be trying to discredit Mnangagwa.
-->
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an politician who has been Minister of Defense since February 2009. He was previously Minister of State Security from 1982 to 1988, then Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs until 2000; he was Speaker of Parliament from July 2000 to 2005 and Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities from April 2005 to February 2009.
Mnangagwa is considered one of the most powerful figures in the ruling ZANU-PF party, head of the Joint Operations Command
Joint Operations Command
The Joint Operations Command is the supreme organ for the coordination of state security in Zimbabwe. It was established by the Rhodesian government and co-ordinated the counter-insurgency war in the Rhodesian Bush War as well as military incursions into neighbouring countries such as Mozambique...
and a leading candidate to succeed President Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
. He was ZANU-PF's Secretary of Administration from July 2000 to December 2004 and has been its Secretary for Legal Affairs since December 2004.
Education and training
He did his early education up to Standard 4 at Lundi Primary School in Mnangagwa Village, Zvishavane. The repressive political situation forced his family to relocate to Northern RhodesiaNorthern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
in 1955 where he completed Standard 4.
He successfully completed his standard 5 and 6 at Mumbwa Boarding School from 1956–1957 and enrolled at Kafue Trade School for a Building course. Although it was a three year course, he was selected to enter Hodgson Technical College. Since the college only accepted applicants with "O" Levels, he sat for an entry examination and came out with a first class. This enabled him to enroll for a four year City and Guilds Industrial Building Course. He and other members were subsequently expelled from college in 1960 for political activism which led to the burning of some property. He had joined the UNIP student movement at the college and had already been elected into the executive.
He completed his 'O' and 'A' levels while in prison through correspondence following which he enrolled for a law degree. He wanted to register for a BSc Economics degree but was instead, allowed to do the Law degree. He successfully completed Part One of the Intermediate Exams at Khami prison and passed at his first seating. He sat for the final exams and passed again. In 1972 he sat for his final LLB examinations with the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
After his release from prison and subsequent deportation to Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, the Party resolved that he should complete his Law Degree first and so he enrolled at the University of Zambia
University of Zambia
The University of Zambia is Zambia's largest university, founded in 1966. It has a student population of about 10,000.-Academics:The University of Zambia is divided into the following faculties:*School of Agricultural Sciences *School of Engineering...
where he remained from 1973 to 1974. In 1975, he did his post-graduate LLB degree and another post programme in Advocacy. After successfully completing his law studies, he was admitted to the Bar of the High Court of Zambia in 1976.
Regarded as the wealthiest individual in Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa has close business links with Col.Lionel Dyck,http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/jan16a_2003.html#link3 a white officer from the old Rhodesian Army who founded Mine Tech http://www.minetech.co.uk, a landmine clearance company that secured lucrative contracts from the Zimbabwe government to clear landmines in Zimbabwe border areas after the war. Through Dyck, he has direct links with the heart of the British establishment as Mine Tech is now owned by the British company Exploration Logistics http://www.exlogs.com whose Chairman is Alastair Morrison OBE, MC. Morrison is a former equerry of HRH The Duke of Gloucester and a former 2ic. of 22 SAS. Mine Tech now has substantial UN and UK/EU contracts as well as its on-going Zimbabwe operations.
Political career
In 1960, he was expelled from Hodgson Technical College for political activism which had resulted in the burning of some property. Following this incident, he joined hands with three others and started a construction company at Nampala which lasted for 3 months. He was asked by UNIP to help organize the party at Chililabombwe (Bancroft) until the end of 1961. Following this, he returned to LusakaLusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
where he became Secretary for the UNIP Youth League while working for a private company.
In 1962 he was recruited into ZAPU by Willie Musarurwa
Willie Musarurwa
"Willie" Wirayi Dzawanda Musarurwa was a Zimbabwean journalist.Musarurwa studied at Princeton University from 1961 to 1962....
. After joining ZAPU, he left for Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and stayed in Mbeya
Mbeya
Mbeya is a city located in southwest Tanzania, Africa. Mbeya's urban population was 280,000 in 2005. Mbeya is the capital of the surrounding rural Mbeya region ....
for quite some time with the likes of James Chikerema
James Chikerema
James Robert Dambaza Chikerema served as the President of the Front for the Liberation of Zimbabwe. He changed his views on militant struggle in the late 1970s and supported the 'internal settlement', serving in the attempted power-sharing governments.-Early life:Chikerema was born at Kutama...
, Clement Muchachi and Danha. They then opened a camp for ZAPU up to March 1963.
He then left for Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
in April 1963 and, together with 12 other cadres, proceeded to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for military training at the Heliopolis Training School.
In August 1963 he and 10 of the 13 cadres decided to join ZANU which had just been formed at home. This led to their detention by Egyptian authorities who recognized ZAPU.
During the detention period, he communicated with Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
who was in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
at the time and told him that 11 students had broken away from ZAPU, stopped training and were now detained. Mugabe sent Trynos Makombe who was traveling from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to come to Egypt to secure their release. After getting released, they were given tickets to fly to Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
.
On arrival in Tanganyika, six of the eleven came back to Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
while the remaining 5 including Mnangagwa joined the first Frelimo Camp at Bagamoyo
Bagamoyo
The town of Bagamoyo, Tanzania, was founded at the end of the 18th century. It was the original capital of German East Africa and was one of the most important trading ports along the East African coast...
in late August 1963. He then proceeded to China leading a group of five ZANLA cadres where they spent the first two months at the School of Ideology in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. They then underwent infantry training for 3 months in Nanking and then attended another school for military engineering for the next 2 months. The group consisted of Felix Santana, Robert Garachani, Lloyd Gundu, Phebion Shonhiwa, and John Chigaba. After completing military training in May 1964, they went back to Tanganyika, where they found that John Mataure and Noel Mukono who were responsible for defence at the time, had not organized any weapons for them to operate in the then Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
.
The group was rushing to attend the ZANU Congress in Mkoba, Gweru
Gweru
Gweru is a city near the centre of Zimbabwe at . It has a population of about 146,073 , making it the third largest city in the nation. Gweru is the capital of Midlands Province. Gweru was founded in 1894 by Dr. Leander Starr Jameson. The first bank opened in Gweru in 1896, and the stock exchange...
, sometime in May 1964 and so they traveled via Northern Rhodesia to Southern Rhodesia. They arrived a day before the Congress. The results of the election were as follows:
- Rev Ndabaningi SitholeNdabaningi SitholeNdabaningi Sithole founded the Zimbabwe African National Union, a militant organization that opposed the government of Rhodesia, in July 1963. A member of the Ndau ethnic group, he also worked as a Methodist minister. He spent 10 years in prison after the government banned ZANU...
– President - Leopold TakawiraLeopold TakawiraLeopold Takawira served as the Vice President of the Zimbabwe African National Union after supporting the National Democratic Party and later the Zimbabwe African People's Union.Leopold Takawira was also known by his Mhazi to totem as 'Shumba yeChirumanzi'Takawira was born at Chirumanzi, Victoria...
-Vice President - Herbert ChitepoHerbert ChitepoHerbert Wiltshire Chitepo led the Zimbabwe African National Union until he was assassinated on March 1975. Although his murderer remains unidentified, the Rhodesian author Peter Stiff says that a former British SAS soldier, Hugh Hind was responsible.Chitepo became the first black citizen of...
– National Chairman - Robert MugabeRobert MugabeRobert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
– Secretary General
Following the ZANU Congress, three of his colleagues, i.e. Shoniwa, Jameson Mudavanhu and Edison Shirihuru were captured and arrested. He sent Lawrence Svosve to go back to Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
with some messages but never saw him again.
In spite of this setback, he remained in operation and joined up with Matthew Malowa who had trained in Egypt and had joined ZANU. They carried out daring operations in the country. Their major task was to recruit people from Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Masvingo
Masvingo
Masvingo is a town in south-eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The town is close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monument from which the country takes its name.- History :...
(then Fort Victoria), Mberengwa and Macheke and walk them through to the Mutoko
Mutoko
Mutoko is a small town in Mashonaland East province, Zimbabwe. It was established as an administrative station in 1911. It lies 143 km from Harare. It is named after the local Chief Mutoko....
border so that they could go to Tanzania through Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
.
It was during these operations that he and Malowa blew up a locomotive train in Fort Victoria. The leadership at Sikombela had sent the duo a message exhorting them to take some action so that the papers would report that it was the ZANU Military High Command which had done it. The cuttings would then be shown to the OAU Liberation Committee which was meeting in Dar es Salaam so that it would know that ZANU was actually active in the country. The blowing up of the locomotive enabled Chitepo and those outside to show that it was not only ZAPU which was active but ZANU as well.
The operations also involved traversing the country on foot from Mberengwa
Mberengwa (District)
Mberengwa is a district in Midlands province in Zimbabwe. The district is prone to droughts and high temperatures, but abundant in minerals like gold, iron ore, emeralds and also asbestos was mined before. Buchwa Mine, Vanguard Mine, Sandawana and C Mine are all located in Mberengwa. The name...
to Mutoko. It was at this stage that William Ndangana came from Lusaka for a meeting at Rev Ndabaningi Sithole
Ndabaningi Sithole
Ndabaningi Sithole founded the Zimbabwe African National Union, a militant organization that opposed the government of Rhodesia, in July 1963. A member of the Ndau ethnic group, he also worked as a Methodist minister. He spent 10 years in prison after the government banned ZANU...
's house in Highfield. It organized a group which included himself, William Ndangana, Victor Mlambo, James Dhlamini and Master Tresha to mount some roadblocks. The group, which is often referred to as the 'Crocodile Gang', killed a white farmer known as Peter Obeholzar at Nyanyadzi in Chimanimani. The incident resulted in the capture and subsequent hanging of James Dhlamini and Victor Mlambo. Ndangana was able to escape to Zambia while the young man was captured but was sentenced to life imprisonment because he was under age.
In January 1965, Mnangagwa was captured by Police Inspector Beans, Bradshaw and Smith while at Michael Mawema's house in Highfield after being sent on a mission. It later turned out that Micheal Mawema himself had sold him out. In fact, one of Mnangagwa's comrades, John Chigaba, was later arrested by police after attempting to stab Mawema with a knife, in revenge for Mnangagwa's arrest. He was then brought to Harare Central Police Station where he was tortured severely resulting in him losing his sense of hearing in one ear
Ear
The ear is the organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system....
. Part of the torture techniques involved being hanged with his feet on the ceiling and the head down. The severity of the torture made him unconscious for days.
He was forced to confess that he had blown up the locomotive in Masvingo
Masvingo
Masvingo is a town in south-eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The town is close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monument from which the country takes its name.- History :...
and was convicted under the Law and Order Maintenance Act. He was defended by J. J. Horn of Scanlen and Holderness who pleaded that he was under age and could not be executed. Following this, he was taken to hospital where doctors confirmed that he was under 21 and as a result, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He served the first year at Harare Prison and then went to Grey Prison following which he was sent to Khami Prison where he spent 6 years and 8 months.
After serving his 10 year sentence, he was further detained at Khami and then at Harare Prison together with other Nationalists like Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
, Enos Nkala
Enos Nkala
Enos Nkala is one of the founders of the Zimbabwe African National Union. During the war, he served on the ZANU high command, or Dare reChimurenga...
, Maurice Nyagumbo
Maurice Nyagumbo
Tapfumaneyi Maurice Nyagumbo was a Zimbabwean politician.Working in South Africa in the 1940s, he joined the South African Communist Party. He spent most of the years 1957 to 1979 in detention in Southern Rhodesia. During this time he wrote an autobiography, With the People...
, Edgar Tekere
Edgar Tekere
Edgar Zivanai Tekere was a Zimbabwean politician. He was a president of the Zimbabwe African National Union who organised the party during the Lancaster House talks and served in government before his popularity as a potential rival to Robert Mugabe caused their...
and Didymus Mutasa
Didymus Mutasa
Didymus Noel Edwin Mutasa is a Zimbabwean politician, currently serving as the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and as the Secretary for Administration of ZANU-PF.-Family background:...
. He was then deported to Zambia where his parents were.
Mnangagwa was received by the Party at the Livingstone Border post and handed over to the Zambian police. A ZANLA representative, Baya, came to receive him at the Victoria Falls Bridge and proceeded with him to Lusaka. Josiah Tongogara
Josiah Tongogara
Josiah Magama Tongogara was a commander of the ZANLA guerrilla army in Rhodesia. He attended the Lancaster House conference that led to Zimbabwe's independence and the end of white minority rule...
was Commander of ZANLA.
After completing his studies at the University of Zambia, he practiced law with Enoch Dumbutshena
Enoch Dumbutshena
Enoch Dumbutshena was a distinguished Zimbabwean judge known for defending the independence of that country's judicial branch. He became Zimbabwe's first black judge in 1980 and served as Chief Justice from 1984 to 1990. Dumbutshena's decisions were often highly critical of President Robert Mugabe...
and doubled up as Secretary for ZANU for the Zambia Division in Lusaka. He was also in the student board for politics at the University of Zambia.
At the Chimoio Congress in 1977, he was elected Special Assistant to the President and member of the National Executive for ZANU. He then left practice and joined the President around October 1977 in Chimoio. The post of Special Assistant meant that he was head of both the civil and military divisions of the Party. His number 2 was Gava (now Retired General Zvinavashe) who was Head of Security in the Military High Command but was his deputy in the Central Committee in the Department of Security.
He participated in the Lancaster House Conference and in January 1980, led the first group of civilian leaders which included Didymus Mutasa and Eddison Zvobgo from Maputo to Zimbabwe. Rex Nhongo
Solomon Mujuru
Solomon Mujuru, also known as Rex Nhongo was a Zimbabwean military officer and politician who led Robert Mugabe's guerrilla forces during the Rhodesian Bush War. He was from the Zezuru clan. In post-independence Zimbabwe, he went on to become army chief before leaving government service in 1995...
(now Retired General Mujuru) also led the first group of commanders numbering 28 from Maputo to the ceasefire.
Parliamentary and ministerial career
He became the first Minister of National Security from 1980 to 1988, and after General Peter WallsPeter Walls
Lieutenant General George Peter Walls MBE GLM served as the Commander of the Combined Operations Headquarters of the Military of Rhodesia, and later Zimbabwe, from 1977 until his retirement on 29 July 1980 during the Rhodesian Bush War...
left the country under dubious circumstances related to making plans for a coup, he took over as Chairman of the Joint High Command. The task involved responsibility for the integration of ZANLA, ZIPRA
ZIPRA
Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Second Chimurenga against white minority rule in the former Rhodesia....
and Rhodesian Army
Rhodesian Army
The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of the Rhodesian Army, Royal Rhodesian Air Force, British South Africa Police, Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Guard Force.- Rhodesian Army :...
. From 1988 to 2000, he was Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Leader of the House. This was the period following the Unity Accord. He was appointed Acting Minister of Finance for 15 months from 1995 to 1996 and was also Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs for a short period. His tenure as Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs saw him setting up the Judicial College and the Small Claims Court to address the critical shortage of magistrates, prosecutors and other judicial officers in the country. He also introduced several amendments to various Acts and the Constitution.
Mnangagwa was defeated in the 2000 parliamentary election by Blessing Chebundo
Blessing Chebundo
Blessing Chebundo is a Zimbabwean politician, a Member of Parliament and a leading figure in the opposition Movement for Democratic Change . He rose to fame by defeating Emmerson Mnangagwa in a contest to represent Kwekwe constituency in the parliament of Zimbabwe in the 2000 parliamentary election...
of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Kwekwe
Kwekwe
Kwekwe or Kwe Kwe , formerly spelt Que Que, is a city in central Zimbabwe. It is located in the centre of the country —roughly equidistant from Harare to the northeast and Bulawayo to the southwest. Its population stood at 47,607 in 1982, 75,425 in 1992 and the preliminary result of the 2002...
constituency, but Mugabe appointed him to one of the unelected seats in Parliament. Following the election, he was elected as Speaker of Parliament on July 18, 2000. It was during his time as Speaker of Parliament that the UN investigation into illegal exploitation of natural resources from the Congo recommended a travel ban and financial restrictions upon him for his involvement in making Harare a significant illicit diamond trading centre. In the March 2005 parliamentary election, he was again defeated by Chebundo in Kwekwe, and Mugabe again appointed him to an unelected seat. His campaign manager blamed this defeat on the Mujuru faction, saying that it had "manipulated the situation" so that the MDC could win the seat and thereby undermine Mnangagwa. In the March 2008 parliamentary election
Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 2008
A parliamentary election was held in Zimbabwe on March 29, 2008 to elect members to both the House of Assembly and the Senate of the Zimbabwean parliament...
, he stood as ZANU-PF's candidate in the new Chirumanzi–Zibagwe rural constituency and won by an overwhelming margin, receiving 9,645 votes against two MDC candidates, Mudavanhu Masendeke and Thomas Michael Dzingisai, who respectively received 1,548 and 894 votes.
Mnangagwa was Mugabe's chief election agent during the 2008 presidential election
Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008
The Republic of Zimbabwe held a presidential election along with a parliamentary election on 29 March 2008. The three major candidates were incumbent President Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front , Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change , and...
, and it was reported that he headed Mugabe's campaign behind the scenes. When a national unity government was sworn in on February 13, 2009, Mnangagwa became Minister of Defense.
Presidential ambitions
It has been an open secret in Zimbabwe for many years that Emmerson Mnangagwa would like to succeed Robert Mugabe as president.His rise to power began as a young man, when he helped direct Zimbabwe's 1970s war of independence
Rhodesian Bush War
The Rhodesian Bush War – also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation – was a civil war which took place between July 1964 and December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia...
and later became the country's spy-master during the 1980s civil conflict. He worked closely with Dan Stannard http://www.news.scotsman.com/latestnews/The-secret-Zimbabwe-policemans-cricket.2398697.jp, who was one of the few whites who remained in the Zimbabwean secret service, CIO, after the departure of Ken Flower.
On December 17, 2004, he lost his post as Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration and was instead named Secretary for Legal Affairs, in what was considered a demotion. As Secretary for Administration he had been able to place his supporters in key party positions. The move followed reports that Mnangagwa had been campaigning too hard for the post of vice-president, backed by his close ally, former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo
Jonathan Moyo
Jonathan Nathaniel Moyo is a controversial political figure in Zimbabwe. He was Minister of Information from 2000 to 2005 and is currently a Member of Parliament. He is considered the core architect of AIPPA and POSA....
. Mugabe sacked Moyo from both his party and government posts. The President has instead reportedly become alarmed at the activities of Joyce Mujuru
Joyce Mujuru
Joice Mujuru is a Zimbabwean politician serving as Vice President of Zimbabwe. She has held this post since December 2004, and is also Vice President of ZANU-PF...
, who got the vice-president's job, and her powerful husband, former army chief Solomon Mujuru
Solomon Mujuru
Solomon Mujuru, also known as Rex Nhongo was a Zimbabwean military officer and politician who led Robert Mugabe's guerrilla forces during the Rhodesian Bush War. He was from the Zezuru clan. In post-independence Zimbabwe, he went on to become army chief before leaving government service in 1995...
.
2007 Zimbabwean coup d'état attempt
The Zimbabwean government foiled an alleged coup d'état attempt involving almost 400 soldiers and high-ranking members of the military that would have occurred on June 2 or June 15, 2007. The alleged leaders of the coup, all of whom have been arrested and charged with treason, are retired army Captain Albert Matapo, spokesman for the Zimbabwe National Army Ben Ncube, Major General Engelbert RugejeEngelbert Rugeje
Major General Engelbert Rugeje is the Chief of Staff of the Zimbabwe National Army. He was born in Bikita, Charamba Village, he's an heir of the Charamba family who of the Duma clanand educated at Silveira Mission where he excelled before he joined the ZANLA guerrilla freedom fighters at the age of...
, and Air Vice Marshal Elson Moyo
Elson Moyo
Air Vice-Marshal Elson Moyo was a deputy commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe and one of the main figures in the 2007 Zimbabwean coup d'état attempt....
.
According to the government the soldiers planned on forcibly removing President Robert Mugabe from office and asking Rural Housing Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa to form a government with the heads of the armed forces. The government first heard of the plot when a former army officer who opposed the coup contacted the police in Paris, France, giving them a map and a list of those involved. Mnangagwa and State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa both said they did not know about the plot, Mnangagwa calling it "stupid."
Some analysts have speculated that rival successors to Mugabe, such as former Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army leader Solomon Mujuru, may be trying to discredit Mnangagwa.
External links
- Zanu-PF rivals square up over Mugabe's job
- Criminal cartels plundering DRC– experts
- Emmerson Mnangagwa named 'Zimbabwe's richest politician'
-->