Callistus Dingiswayo Ndlovu (9 February 1936 –13 February 2019) was a Zimbabwean academic,diplomat,and politician. He joined the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) in 1963 as a teacher in Matabeleland,and went on to serve as its representative to the United Nations and North America in the 1970s. After Zimbabwe's independence in 1980,he was a member of the House of Assembly from 1980 to 1985 and served as a senator from 1985 to 1990. He left ZAPU and joined the ruling ZANU–PF party in 1984.
Ndlovu held several portfolios in Prime Minister Robert Mugabe's cabinet in the 1980s,serving as Minister of Construction from 1982 to 1984,Minister of Mines from 1984 to 1985,and Minister of Industry and Technology between 1985 and 1989. In 1989,he was implicated in the Willowgate corruption scandal and resigned from the cabinet after being accused of lying to the official panel investigating the allegations. He ran unsuccessfully for Parliament in 2000 and again for the Senate in 2013,and served on the ZANU–PF Central Committee and as the party's provincial chairman for Bulawayo. He died in 2019 in South Africa,where he was being treated for cancer.
Callistus Dingiswayo Ndlovu was born on 9 February 1936 in Plumtree,a town near the western border of what was then Southern Rhodesia. [1] [2] [3] He grew up in a Kalanga family of four. [1] [4] As a boy,Ndlovu herded cattle and often harvested mopane worms to pay for his schooling. [4] He attended Empandeni High School,a Catholic mission school in Plumtree,where he earned his junior certificate and began training as a teacher. [1] After the training,he started a correspondence course through the Joint Matriculation Board of South Africa. [1] After completing matric,he taught from 1959 to 1961 at the Empandeni mission,first at the primary school and later at the high school. [1] [2] [3] He then taught Mafakela Primary School in Bulawayo in 1962. [2] [3]
In 1963,Ndlovu entered Pius XII Catholic University College in Basutoland (now Lesotho),where he graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics,history,and Zulu. [1] [2] [3] While a student,he served as president of the university's Student Representative Council from 1963 to 1964,and as the publicity secretary of the National Union of Basutoland Students from 1964 to 1965. [1] [2] [3] He went on to earn a Master of Arts in history from New York University in 1969,followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in history from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1973. [5] [6] His doctoral dissertation was titled Missionaries and Traders in the Ndebele Kingdom. [7]
In 1960,Ndlovu joined the National Democratic Party,an African nationalist party founded by Joshua Nkomo. [2] In 1963,while a student at Pius XII Catholic University College,he joined the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU),and became chairman of the party's branch in Basutoland. [2] [3] [6] After completing his bachelor's degree,Ndlovu returned to Rhodesia,where he taught economics and Zulu at Mpopoma High School in Bulawayo in 1966 and 1967,and was elected president of the African Teachers' Association in Matabeleland. [1] While a teacher,was detained for three months at Khami prison by the Rhodesian government for promoting ZAPU politics. [1] [2] [3]
Upon release,Ndlovu left Rhodesia for New York,where he studied towards his MA and PhD on an Aggrey Fellowship. [1] [2] [3] Between 1969 and 1980,he was an associate professor of history and political science and director of the African Studies Institute at Hofstra University on Long Island. [1] He received an award for distinguished teaching in 1973,and was granted Freedom of the City by Minneapolis in 1973. [2] [3] While in the United States,Ndlovu served as ZAPU's chairman for North America from 1967 to 1971,and was a member of the party's Revolutionary Council from 1971 to 1980. [2] [3] From 1973 to 1979,he was ZAPU's chief representative to the United Nations,and opened an office for the party near the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan. [1] [2] [3] Ndlovu attended the 1976 Geneva Conference and the 1979 Lancaster House Conference as a political advisor to the Patriotic Front delegations. [1] [2] [3] During the liberation struggle,Ndlovu often made trips to ZAPU camps in Zambia,where he was responsible for ensuring supplies of medicine,books,and other necessities,which he obtained with the support of the African-American Institute. [6]
Ndlovu returned to Zimbabwe at independence in 1980,and worked as a director at Carbin Finance and as a group industrial relations manager with Union Carbide. [1] [3] In the 1980 election,he earned a seat in the House of Assembly as an MP for Matabeleland South Province,and served as a member of ZAPU's Central Committee between 1980 and 1983. [2] [8] On 16 April 1982,he was named Minister of Construction by Prime Minister Robert Mugabe,replacing Clement Muchachi,who resigned as Minister of Works after ZAPU leader Joshua Nkomo was sacked from the cabinet. [9] [10] His appointment strained the already difficult relations between Nkomo and Ndlovu,who in previous instances had opposed Nkomo at party councils,and who had chaired a parliamentary committee enquiring into Nkomo's and ZAPU's companies. [9] [10] In May 1982,ZAPU's publicity secretary announced on behalf of the party's Central Committee that the appointments of Ndlovu and two other ZAPU officials to the cabinet "did not have the blessing of the party," because they were made without Mugabe consulting ZAPU leadership. [11] [12] At a party meeting in Bulawayo on 8 May 1982,Ndlovu defended his decision to join Mugabe's cabinet and accused ZAPU leadership of employing a double standard for refusing to support his appointment,as the party had approved the appointment of three other ZAPU ministers in the past. [12]
On 3 January 1984,Mugabe reshuffled his cabinet,and Ndlovu was appointed to replace Maurice Nyagumbo as Minister of Mines. [13] On 14 April 1984,Ndlovu announced his resignation from ZAPU. [14] The following month,on 16 May,he announced he had joined the ruling party,ZANU,a move commended by Prime Minister Mugabe and described as "opportunistic" by ZAPU leader Joshua Nkomo. [14] [15] [16] That year,Ndlovu became ZANU's provincial chairman for Bulawayo,an office he held until 1987. [2] In the 1985 election,Ndlovu ran as ZANU's candidate in his home constituency of Bulilima–Mangwe,losing with 923 votes against 31,334 votes for ZAPU's Isaac Nyathi. [17] [18] He was then appointed to represent Matabeleland North Province in the Senate,where he served until 1990. [2] [3] On 15 July 1985,following the election,Mugabe announced a new cabinet in which Ndlovu was named Minister of Industry and Technology. [19]
Ndlovu was implicated in the 1988–1989 Willowgate scandal in which The Bulawayo Chronicle revealed the illegal resale of automobiles at inflated prices on the black market by senior government officials,who had been given early access to purchase them from an assembly plant in Willowvale,Harare. [20] [21] [22] When The Chronicle first published the revelations in 1988,Ndlovu had called the reporting "a shoddy piece of slander conceived by tricksters and mobsters." [23] He ultimately resigned on 13 April 1989 along with several other senior officials after being accused of lying to the official commission appointed by Prime Minister Mugabe to investigate the allegations. [22] [24] Announcing the resignations the following day,Mugabe told reporters Ndlovu and the other officials had been seduced by "the evils of the capitalist system we still have," but said,"I am still proud of them. All these men are good men,by and large." [24] Ndlovu was replaced by Bernard Chidzero as acting industry minister,then by Kumbirai Kangai in 1990. [25]
After resigning,Ndlovu returned to the private sector,working in 1990 as an executive consultant with the Treger Group of Companies and in 1991 as chief executive officer at Calding Consultants. [2] [3] He also worked for the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Administration and Management (ZIPAM) for several years and spent much of his time farming. [3] [4] [6] Ndlovu was a member of the commission that drafted a proposed new Zimbabwean constitution,which was defeated by voters in the 2000 constitutional referendum. [2] [3] He attempted a return to parliament in the 2000 election,standing for ZANU–PF in the Bulawayo South constituency,but lost with 3,192 votes to Movement for Democratic Change candidate David Coltart's 20,380 votes. [26]
Ndlovu was chairman of the board of directors of the cellular network operator Net*One and headed the founding task force of Gwanda State University,a new government university established in Matabeleland South Province in 2012. [2] [3] [4] In 2013,he won the ZANU–PF primary in the Khumalo constituency,and was included on the party list of Senate candidates in Bulawayo. [27] However,ZANU–PF received just 23.8% of the vote in Bulawayo in the 2013 election,and Ndlovu did not receive a Senate seat,which were allotted using proportional representation. [28] He continued to serve on the ZANU–PF Central Committee and as the party's provincial chairman for Bulawayo until his death. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Ndlovu died on 13 February 2019 at Netcare Pinehaven Hospital in Krugersdorp,South Africa,where he had been undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. [2] [5] [29] [30] Following his death,ZANU–PF's Bulawayo province requested he be declared a national hero,which was approved unanimously by the party's politburo two days later. [2] [3] [5] [31] In a statement,President Emmerson Mnangagwa described Ndlovu as "a principled and disciplined cadre who was always prepared to sacrifice for the greater good of our people" [2] [31] Ndlovu's body arrived by plane in Zimbabwe from South Africa on 19 February,and passed through the Mzilikazi Barracks,then a funeral home for services,and finally was taken to his home in the Bulawayo suburb of Kumalo. [3] [30] [32] The following day,his body was flown on an Air Force helicopter to his rural home in Sanzukwi village near Brunapeg. [30] [32] [33] There,hundreds of mourners and government and party officials gathered to view his body,before it was flown back to Bulawayo lay in state at his home the next day. [32] On 22 February,a Catholic funeral service was held at St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica,followed by a service at Bulawayo City Hall. [30] [32] [33] His body was then flown to Harare,and was buried at the National Heroes' Acre the next day. [30] [32] [33] Ndlovu is survived by his wife Angeline and seven children. [2] [3]
The politics of Zimbabwe occurs in a society deeply divided along lines of race,ethnicity,gender and geography. The ZANU–PF party has historically been dominant in Zimbabwe politics. The party,which was led by Robert Mugabe from 1980 to 2017,has used the powers of the state to intimidate,imprison and otherwise hobble political opposition in Zimbabwe,as well as use state funds and state media to advance the interests of the party.
The Gukurahundi was a series of mass killings in Zimbabwe which were committed from 1983 until the Unity Accord in 1987. The name derives from a Shona-language term which loosely translates to "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains".
The Zimbabwe African National Union –Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) is a political organisation which has been the ruling party of Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. The party was led for many years by Robert Mugabe,first as prime minister with the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and then as president from 1987 after the merger with the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) and retaining the name ZANU–PF,until 2017,when he was removed as leader.
The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was a militant socialist organisation that fought against white-minority rule in Rhodesia,formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) in 1963. ZANU split in 1975 into wings loyal to Robert Mugabe and Ndabaningi Sithole,later respectively called ZANU–PF and ZANU–Ndonga. These two sub-divisions ran separately at the 1980 general election,where ZANU–PF has been in power ever since,and ZANU–Ndonga a minor opposition party.
Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1990 until his death in 1999. He founded and led the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) from 1961 until it merged in 1987 with Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) to form ZANU–PF after an internal military crackdown called Gukurahundi in western Zimbabwe,mostly on ethnic Ndebele ZAPU supporters.
The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It is a militant communist organization and political party that campaigned for majority rule in Rhodesia,from its founding in 1961 until 1980. In 1987,it merged with the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.
Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean politician who is serving as President of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Mugabe,he held a series of cabinet portfolios and was Mugabe's Vice-President until November 2017,when he was dismissed before coming to power in a coup d'état. He secured his first full term as president in the disputed 2018 general election. Mnangagwa was re-elected in the August 2023 general election with 52.6% of the vote.
General elections were held in Southern Rhodesia between 14 February and 4 March 1980 to elect the members of the House of Assembly of the first Parliament of the independent Zimbabwe. As stipulated by the new Constitution of Zimbabwe produced by the Lancaster House Conference,the new House of Assembly was to comprise 100 members,80 of whom would be elected proportionally by province by all adult citizens on a common roll,and 20 of whom would be elected in single-member constituencies by whites on a separate roll.
Joseph Wilfred Msika,was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Second Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1999 to 2009.
Nathan Shamuyarira was a Zimbabwean nationalist who at different times fought on behalf of and helped lead FROLIZI,ZANU,and ZAPU. He later served as the Information Minister of Zimbabwe and as the Information Secretary of ZANU PF. He was writing President Robert Mugabe's biography at the time of his death.
David Coltart is a Zimbabwean lawyer,Christian leader and politician. He was a founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change when it was established in 1999 and its founding secretary for legal affairs. He was the Member of Parliament for Bulawayo South in the House of Assembly from 2000 to 2008,and he was elected to the Senate in 2008. He was the Minister for Education,Sport,Arts and Culture from February 2009 until August 2013. He is a top official of the Citizens Coalition for Change political party which was formed in 2022.
Zimbabwe regained its independence from the United Kingdom on 17 April 1980. Canaan Banana,a Methodist minister and theologian,became the first President of Zimbabwe on 18 April.
John Landa Nkomo was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. After serving for years as a minister in the government of Zimbabwe,he was the Speaker of Parliament from 2005 to 2008. He was then appointed to the Senate in 2008 and was Minister of State in the President's Office in 2009. Nkomo was also a key figure in the Zimbabwe African National Union –Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF);he was National Chairman of ZANU–PF until December 2009,when he was elected as Vice President of ZANU–PF. As a consequence of his elevation to the party's vice presidency,he also became Vice President of Zimbabwe in December 2009.
Cain Ginyilitshe Ndabazekhaya Mathema is a Zimbabwean politician and writer. He has held various cabinet roles in the Zimbabwean government. He is a member of Zanu-PF. He was born in Sipepa,Tsholotsho District.
Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) from 1975 to 1980 and led its successor political party,the ZANU –Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF),from 1980 to 2017. Ideologically an African nationalist,during the 1970s and 1980s he identified as a Marxist–Leninist,and as a socialist after the 1990s.
The Zimbabwe African People's Union –Federal Party is a minor Zimbabwean political party,based in Matabeleland. ZAPU-FP split from Agrippa Madlela's ZAPU party,purportedly a revival of those members of ZAPU who had rejected the 1987 merger with ZANU-PF in January 2002,following attempts by a faction of ZAPU led by Agrippa Madlela not to contest the Zimbabwean presidential election,2002 a ZAPU founder Paul Siwela,was seconded to run as ZAPU's presidential candidate but was blocked by Aggripa Madlela's faction which itself was accused of accepting payments from the MDC which feared that ZAPU's participation in the election would split the anti-Mugabe vote in Matabeleland.
The 1982 Entumbane uprising,also known as the Battle of Bulawayo or Entumbane II,occurred between 8 and 12 February 1981 in and around Bulawayo,Zimbabwe amid political tensions in the newly independent state. Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) guerrillas,mainly in the city's western suburb of Entumbane,rebelled,creating a situation that threatened to develop into a fresh civil war,barely a year after the end of the Bush War. The Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR) and other white-commanded elements of the former Rhodesian Security Forces,fighting for the Zimbabwean government as part of the new Zimbabwe National Army,put down the uprising. Groups of Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) fighters attacked both ZIPRA and the government forces during the revolt,which followed a smaller outbreak of fighting between guerrillas in November 1980.
Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu was a Zimbabwean politician and deputy president of the Senate of Zimbabwe.
Canaan Sodindo Banana was a Zimbabwean Methodist minister,theologian,and politician who served as the first President of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987. He was Zimbabwe's first head of state after the Lancaster House Agreement that led to the country’s independence. In 1987,he stepped down as President and was succeeded by Prime Minister Robert Mugabe,who became the country's executive president. In 1997,Banana was accused of being a homosexual,and after a highly publicised trial,was convicted of 11 counts of sodomy and "unnatural acts",serving six months in prison.
Lazarus Nkala,known in political circles by the nickname UMavava,was a Rhodesian trade union leader,activist,and revolutionary. Born in Filabusi in Matabeleland,he attended mission and government schools,and trained as a builder. He worked in Bulawayo,and became a union leader and African nationalist activist. In the 1950s and 60s,he served in leadership roles in the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress,National Democratic Party,and Zimbabwe African People's Union. He was detained in 1964 and,with the exception of a three-week period the following year,was held in continuous detention for the next ten years. Upon his release in 1974,he was named Organising Secretary of the ANC,and attended the Victoria Falls Conference as part of Joshua Nkomo's delegation. He died shortly after in an automobile accident while driving from Salisbury to Bulawayo.