) was a Zimbabwe

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 and Trade Unionist. He was a founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change and at the time of his death was the Vice-President of the faction of the Movement for Democratic Change

Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara

The Movement for Democratic Change — Mutambara is a Zimbabwean political party led by Welshman Ncube.-Foundation:The Movement for Democratic Change was founded in 1999 as an opposition party to the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front party led by President Robert Mugabe...

 led by Arthur Mutambara

Arthur Mutambara

Arthur Guseni Oliver Mutambara is a Zimbabwean politician. He became the President of the Movement for Democratic Change-Mutambara faction in February 2006. He has worked as the Managing Director and CEO of Africa Technology and Business Institute since September 2003...

. A former president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is the dominant central trade union federation in Zimbabwe. The general secretary of ZCTU is Wellington Chibebe and the president is Lovemore Matombo....

, he was first elected to the House of Assembly

House of Assembly of Zimbabwe

The House of Assembly of Zimbabwe is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It was the unicameral legislative body from 1989 until late November 2005, when the Senate was re-introduced....

 in the 2000 election

Zimbabwe parliamentary elections, 2000

The Zimbabwe parliamentary elections of 2000 to the Zimbabwe House of Assembly were held on June 24 and June 25, 2000. The electoral system involved 120 constituencies returning one member each, elected by the First Past the Post system, with the President of Zimbabwe then nominating 20 members and...

. He was a member of the Senate

Senate of Zimbabwe

The Senate of Zimbabwe is the upper chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It existed from 1980 to 1989, and was re-introduced in November 2005....

 and a Minister of State

Minister of State in the Deputy Prime Minister's Office (Zimbabwe)

The Minister of State in the Deputy Prime Minister's Office is a non-cabinet ministerial position in the government of Zimbabwe. There are two incumbents: Gibson Sibanda and Sekai Holland. The duties of the position have yet to be publicly defined....

 in the Office of Prof Arthur Mutambara

Arthur Mutambara

Arthur Guseni Oliver Mutambara is a Zimbabwean politician. He became the President of the Movement for Democratic Change-Mutambara faction in February 2006. He has worked as the Managing Director and CEO of Africa Technology and Business Institute since September 2003...

 at the time of his death.

Early life

Sibanda was born in Filabusi

Filabusi

Filabusi is a district in Matabeleland South province in Zimbabwe. It is the district capital of Insiza and service centre for the surrounding mining and farming areas.Mining in the Filabusi area is now mainly small scale gold mining...

, Matabeleland South

Matabeleland South

Matabeleland South is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 54,172 km² and a population of approximately 650,000 . Gwanda is the capital of the province.-Geography:...

. He worked on the railways and was a trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

ist before going into politics as Welfare Secretary of ZAPU (being jailed by the 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...

n government from 1976 to 1979).

In 1984 Sibanda was elected President of five amalgamated railway trades unions. He studied and obtained a Diploma in Industrial Labour Relations, and was the first Vice-President of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is the dominant central trade union federation in Zimbabwe. The general secretary of ZCTU is Wellington Chibebe and the president is Lovemore Matombo....

 in 1988 before serving as President from 1989. He was a leading member of the initiative for the ZCTU to establish a political party in 2000, being unanimously elected as Vice-President at the inaugural congress.

MDC activity

Sibanda was elected to the House of Assembly from Nkulumane in the 2000 election, defeating ZANU-PF candidate Dumiso Dabengwa

Dumiso Dabengwa

Dumiso Dabengwa is a Zimbabwean politician. He served as the head of ZIPRA intelligence during the Rhodesian Bush War.In 1982 he was charged, with Lookout Masuku and four others, of treason by the Mugabe administration. They were acquitted, for lack of evidence in 1983. On release they were...

.

In 2005 Sibanda was the leader of a faction within the MDC which advocated that the party should participate in elections to the Senate of Zimbabwe

Senate of Zimbabwe

The Senate of Zimbabwe is the upper chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It existed from 1980 to 1989, and was re-introduced in November 2005....

, which it had opposed. When the MDC National Council voted to support participation, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai

Morgan Tsvangirai

Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. He is the President of the Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai and a key figure in the opposition to President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on 11 February 2009...

 suspended Sibanda and his supporters, such as Welshman Ncube

Welshman Ncube

Welshman Ncube is a Zimbabwean politician. He is the President of the Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara, and since February 2009 has been the Minister of Industry and Commerce. He was elected as a member of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe for Bulawayo North East in the 2000 election and...

, pending a Congress in February 2006. They accused Tsvangirai of being dictatorial and said that they had actually suspended him.

The MDC split in October 2005, a result of escalating internal tensions which saw Tsvangirai differ sharply with some of his senior colleagues on various policy issues, including election participation.

Sibanda was elected to the Senate 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 a candidate for the post of President of the Senate on August 25, 2008, and he was backed by both MDC factions, but was defeated by ZANU-PF candidate Edna Madzongwe

Edna Madzongwe

Edna Madzongwe is the President of the Senate of Zimbabwe. She was previously Deputy-Secretary for Production and Labor.She was elected to the presidency of the Senate on November 30, 2005...

, receiving 28 votes against 58 votes for Madzongwe.

Sibanda died in 2010 after a battle with cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

,and was the first member of the opposition to be declared a national hero by both MDC parties but their plea for Gibson Sibanda to be buried at the Heroes Acre where denied by President Robert Mugabe.

External links

• Biography on Zimbabwe Parliament Website