Sekai Holland

Last updated

Sekai Holland
Sekai Holland.jpg
Holland in 2010
Born1942 (age 80–81)
Zimbabwe
OccupationPolitician
SpouseJim Holland

Sekai Holland (born 1942)[ citation needed ] is a Zimbabwean former politician who served as Minister of State for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration in the administrations of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. Sekai has been involved in campaigning on a number of human rights issues, including those relating to Aboriginal Australians, apartheid in South Africa and the women's rights and democracy in Zimbabwe. [1]

Contents

Her father, the writer and magazine editor Masotsha Mike Hove, was elected in 1953 as a special representative to the first Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland parliament. He had the distinction of being the first African allowed to be designated an "employee" under the regulations pertaining to the Rhodesian Guild of Journalists in Southern Rhodesia. [2] [3]

She has dedicated her life to campaigning for human rights, democracy and the empowerment of woman. She was recognised in 2012 with the Sydney Peace Prize, Australia's only international prize for peace. [4]

Education and career

Sekai Holland travelled to Australia as a student, where she attended the Australian National University in Canberra, where she met her future husband, Jim Holland, the son of an Australian diplomat. [5] Later moving to Sydney, she became Director of the Free Zimbabwe Centre, established in opposition to the Rhodesia Information Centre, operated by the white minority government of Ian Smith, and initially known as the Alternative Rhodesia Information Centre. [6] In 1979, Holland completed a Bachelor of Arts (Communication) at the University of Technology Sydney, from where she was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2013. [7] Following Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, she and her husband returned to the country to be part of the nation-building project.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Sekai completed a Master of Science (Agricultural Journalism) at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), and worked in a number of volunteer and paid roles including:

Political career

Human rights campaigns

Anti-Apartheid Movement

Sekai was a founder of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in Australia in the late 1960s, she helped to establish the Murrawina Child Care Centre in Redfern, and she worked actively with the Aboriginal community on the land rights campaign.

Rights of Women

Sekai helped resuscitate the important but moribund Association of Women's Clubs (AWC – 60 000 members), a grassroots rural women's development organisation established in 1938 by an 18-year-old African woman. With Sekai as its National Chairperson AWC became active in speaking for the rights of women against the increasingly repressive Mugabe government. The leadership was gazetted and banned from AWC by the government. Sekai made a Supreme Court challenge against the government's action and won, making history with the human rights case 'Sekai Holland and Others vs the Ministry of Labour, Social Welfare and Public Service'.

Democratic change

In 1998–99 Sekai became convinced that development through NGO activity was impossible under the Mugabe government, and with Morgan Tsvangirai, she started the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as a real alternative to one-party rule.' [1] 'Founded in 1999, the MDC was the only substantive challenge to President Mugabe, the once admired revolutionary hero-cum-strongman, who had dominated Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. With elections scheduled for the following year, a brutal campaign of terror was underway to intimidate the increasingly popular MDC from participating in the political process.' [1]

Torture and death threats

Sekai suffered constant harassment, arrests and attempts on her life. In the 1970s in Zambia, Sekai spoke out against endemic violence against ZANU recruits in the camps and sexual abuse of female recruits. She was labelled a dissident and sentenced to death. Tipped off that her life was at risk, she escaped back to Australia (where the Melbourne Herald had printed her obituary) and continued her anti-Apartheid and Zimbabwean independence work. The most serious incident was in 2003 when she was pursued to her home in Harare and then she and her family were shot at repeatedly while trying to enter their house.

In March 2007 she was arrested and brutally tortured in a Harare police station with 39 leaders of the MDC. She sustained a broken arm, a broken leg, fractured ribs, and over 80 lacerations to her entire body caused by whipping, beating, and being stamped on by the torturers. Sekai spent 15 weeks in hospitals in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Australia. 'In the police station, the answer to the group's inquiry was swift. They were beaten and spat on by more than a dozen police officers. Three of Holland's ribs were broken when a policewoman jumped on her. Holland's 80 injuries included a broken arm, a fractured knee, cuts and lacerations, and a leg snapped by blows from an iron bar. But she survived.' [1]

"It was very bad for Mugabe to beat up a grandmother," says Peter Murphy of the Sydney-based Zimbabwe Information Centre. "It was well reported all across Africa." [1] Not for the first time, Holland thought she might die. The beaten body of a photographer, who took the photo of a bloody and swollen Morgan Tsvangirai that sparked global opprobrium, was found a few days later. Tortured for hours, Holland was jailed, and finally released after two court hearings. To the fury of Mugabe, however, she was escorted by an Australian diplomat to the airport, where she was flown to South Africa for treatment.' [1] Her Australian husband, Jim Holland, told a reporter: "The regime tried to beat her into submission and has totally failed, and she knows that she's won." Prime Minister of Australia at the time, John Howard, called Mugabe a "disaster" and Zimbabwe "a total heap of misery". [1]

Ministry for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration

'Despite initial misgivings about working closely with Mugabe, she has said that it was the right thing to do, "a very difficult exercise but necessary because it has pushed our country out of full conflict into transition".’ [1]

In the Transitional Government set up in February 2009, Sekai worked with Ministers from two other parties, as Co-Ministers for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration. She has driven this agency with innovative strategies that seek to incorporate traditional Zimbabwean positive cultural beliefs and practices into the entire healing process infused with the local, regional and international best practices. The new infrastructure for peace as recommended by the Organ encourages survivors of political violence, victims and perpetrators to acknowledge the history and culture of violence and to address the damage caused by violence with mechanisms to prevent future violence.

Since 2009 the Organ has initiated ongoing peace activities of partnerships between and among government ministries, civil society in Zimbabwe, the region and internationally e.g. "Shoes for Peace" which involves collecting thousands of pairs of new shoes from around the world, to be distributed to Zimbabwe's shoeless school kids – from all political backgrounds.

Sekai is negotiating with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for Midlands state University to partner with two Australian institutions; NSW Service for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) to establish a similar mental health wellness institution for survivors of political violence and Exodus Foundation which has appropriate rehabilitation programmes for refugees and internally displaced persons to establish similar grassroots based community centres to receive and train returnee refugees, internally displaced persons and stateless persons for their re integrations into communities.

Within the political processes in Zimbabwe today, Sekai continues to advocate policies which are not necessarily popular within the political elites of both major parties. She has continued her consistent advocacy for women's and children's issues and she has continually spoken out against retribution and the culture of cyclic political violence in Zimbabwe.

Sydney Peace Prize

On 30 April 2012, at a reception hosted by the Australian Embassy in Harare, Sekai Holland was announced to be the 15th recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize, Australia's only international award for peace. [9] Professor Stuart Rees, Chair of the Sydney Peace Foundation said, 'In addition to her work for the education of rural women and her founding of Australia's anti-Apartheid movement fifty years ago, Sekai Holland has been a significant leader of non-violent, democracy campaigns, and is a key figure in her country's national dialogue on how to heal the deep wounds of social conflict.' [10]

The Sydney Peace Prize jury's citation reads: Sekai Holland: for a lifetime of outstanding courage in campaigning for human rights and democracy, for challenging violence in all its forms and for giving such astute and brave leadership for the empowerment of women. [10]

Sometimes perceived as controversial, the prize's previous recipients have included Professor Muhammad Yunus, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson (former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and former President of Ireland), Dr Hanan Ashrawi, former Governor General Sir William Deane, Australia's 'Father of Reconciliation' Patrick Dodson, the Indian novelist and human rights campaigner Arundhati Roy and the distinguished American academic and activist, Professor Noam Chomsky. [10]

Sekai Holland traveled to Australia in November to give the City of Sydney Peace Prize Lecture in the Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday 7 November 2012, receiving the 2012 Peace Prize in a gala ceremony the next day. [10]

Related Research Articles

Until roughly 2,000 years ago, what would become Zimbabwe was populated by ancestors of the San people. Bantu inhabitants of the region arrived and developed ceramic production in the area. A series of trading empires emerged, including the Kingdom of Mapungubwe and Kingdom of Zimbabwe. In the 1880s, the British South Africa Company began its activities in the region, leading to the colonial era in Southern Rhodesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabwe</span> Country in Southern Africa

Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the north, and Mozambique to the east. The capital and largest city is Harare, and the second largest is Bulawayo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZANU–PF</span> Ruling political party of Zimbabwe

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 under 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmerson Mnangagwa</span> President of Zimbabwe since 2017

Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean politician who has served 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 has been re-elected in 2023 with 52.6% of the votes. Nelson Chamisa came in second with 44%.

Articles related to Zimbabwe include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Zimbabwe</span>

There were widespread reports of systematic and escalating violations of human rights in Zimbabwe under the regime of Robert Mugabe and his party, ZANU-PF, between 1980 and 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tendai Biti</span> Zimbabwean politician

Tendai Laxton Biti is a Zimbabwean politician who served as Finance Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He is the second Vice President of Citizens Coalition for Change. He was the Secretary-General of the Movement for Democratic Change and the subsequent Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC-T) political parties and a Member of Parliament for Harare East until he was expelled from the party and recalled from parliament in mid-2014,before winning the seat again in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Coltart</span> Zimbabwean lawyer, Christian leader and politician

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 began experiencing a period of considerable political and economic upheaval in 1999. Opposition to President Mugabe and the ZANU-PF government grew considerably after the mid-1990s in part due to worsening economic and human rights conditions. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was established in September 1999 as an opposition party founded by trade unionist Morgan Tsvangirai.

Campaigning for the first round of the presidential election held in Zimbabwe on 29 March 2008 took place from February to March. There were three major candidates: President Robert Mugabe of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Morgan Tsvangirai of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, and the independent candidate Simba Makoni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia–Zimbabwe relations</span> Bilateral relations

Foreign relations exist between Australia and Zimbabwe. Both countries have full embassy level diplomatic relations. Australia currently maintains an embassy in Harare, and Zimbabwe maintains an embassy in Canberra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Mugabe</span> President of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 2017

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 second round of voting in the Zimbabwean presidential election of 2008 was held between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai after the first round failed to produce a 50% majority for either candidate. The election process was marred by violence against and intimidation of voters and party workers, which eventually led to the withdrawal of Tsvangirai from the poll. This left Mugabe as the winner of, effectively, a one-candidate election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008–2009 Zimbabwean political negotiations</span>

The 2008–2009 Zimbabwean political negotiations between the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, its small splinter group, the Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara, and the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front were intended to negotiate an end to the partisan violence and human rights violations in Zimbabwe and create a framework for a power-sharing executive government between the two parties. These negotiations followed the 2008 presidential election, in which Mugabe was controversially re-elected, as well as the 2008 parliamentary election, in which the MDC won a majority in the House of Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai</span> Political party in Zimbabwe

The Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T) is a centre-left political party and was the main opposition party in the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe ahead of the 2018 elections. After the split of the original Movement for Democratic Change in 2005, the MDC–T remained the major opposition faction, while a smaller faction, the Movement for Democratic Change – Ncube, or MDC–N, was led by Welshman Ncube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Tsvangirai</span> Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, 2009 to 2013

Morgan Richard Tsvangirai was a Zimbabwean politician who was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He was president of the Movement for Democratic Change, and later the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T), and a key figure in the opposition to former president Robert Mugabe.

Susan Nyaradzo Tsvangirai was a prominent figure in Zimbabwean politics as a notable member of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC-T) political party, and was the wife of Morgan Tsvangirai, former Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. She has been described as being a mother figure for the country, providing strength behind the scenes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Zimbabwean general election</span>

General elections were held in Zimbabwe on 31 July 2013. Incumbent President Robert Mugabe was re-elected, whilst his ZANU–PF party won a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Zimbabwean general election</span>

General elections were held in Zimbabwe on 29 March 2008 to elect the President and Parliament. Because of Zimbabwe's dire economic situation, the elections were expected to provide incumbent President Robert Mugabe with his toughest electoral challenge to date. Mugabe's opponents were critical of the handling of the electoral process, and the government was accused of planning to rig the election. Human Rights Watch said that the election was likely to be "deeply flawed."

Michael Theodore Hayes Auret was a Zimbabwean farmer, politician, and activist. A devout Catholic, he served as chairman and later director of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJP) from 1978 until 1999. He also served as a member of Parliament for Harare Central from 2000 to 2003, when he resigned and emigrated to Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Home". 5 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "OBITUARY:Masotsha Mike Hove – the man who saw it all | The Chronicle". chronicle.co.zw. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Jet 15 July 1954
  4. ↑ "Doctor Sekai Holland". University of Technology Sydney. 22 November 2019.
  5. ↑ How Zimbabwe's fearless lady found life and love here, The Canberra Times , March 9 2013
  6. ↑ "Rhodesia Centre arrests". Tribune. 28 August 1973.
  7. ↑ Dr Sekai Holland | University of Technology Sydney
  8. ↑ "Jestina Mukoko, Sekesai Holland receive French Award of Honor".
  9. ↑ "Sekai Holland wins Sydney Peace Prize".
  10. 1 2 3 4 "2012 Senator Sekai Holland – Sydney Peace Foundation".

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Sekai Holland at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.