Rekayi Tangwena
Encyclopedia
Chief Rekayi Tangwena was a traditional chief from Zimbabwe
's eastern province of Manicaland
. Chief Tangwena is well known as the man who helped Robert Mugabe
and Edgar Tekere
cross into Mozambique
to join the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army
guerillas
who were waging a fierce bush war against Ian Smith
's Rhodesia
n regime.
However, Chief Tangwena was also well known for his fierce resistance to having his people evicted from their ancestral lands to make way for white settlers. Chief Tangwena continued to resist even after the people's homesteads had been destroyed by settler forces.
He is buried at Heroes' Acre
in Harare
.
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...
's eastern province of Manicaland
Manicaland
Manicaland is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of and a population of approximately 1.6 million . Mutare is the capital of the province. -Background:...
. Chief Tangwena is well known as the man who helped 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...
and 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...
cross into Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
to join the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union, a militant African nationalist organization, and participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against Republican Rule in Rhodesia....
guerillas
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
who were waging a fierce bush war against Ian Smith
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID was a politician active in the government of Southern Rhodesia, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe Rhodesia and Zimbabwe from 1948 to 1987, most notably serving as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 13 April 1964 to 1 June 1979...
's 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 regime.
However, Chief Tangwena was also well known for his fierce resistance to having his people evicted from their ancestral lands to make way for white settlers. Chief Tangwena continued to resist even after the people's homesteads had been destroyed by settler forces.
He is buried at Heroes' Acre
National Heroes Acre (Zimbabwe)
National Heroes Acre or simply Heroes Acre is a burial ground and national monument in Harare, Zimbabwe. The site is situated on a ridge seven kilometres from Harare along the main Harare-Bulawayo Road. The shrine is a national monument of Zimbabwe...
in 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...
.