Sheba Tavarwisa

Last updated

Sheba Tavarwisa (born 1 August 1946 [1] ) was a war veteran from Zimbabwe. She was one of the first female commanders of the military wing of Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANLA), which spearheaded the country's revolution against colonial rule. [2] [3]

Contents

Revolution

Tavarwisa worked as a primary school teacher until she left to join the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) to fight for the country's liberation. She was one of the early cadres and first female commanders of the movement. [3] Her initial responsibility was to carry and supply arms from Zambia to Mozambique to the frontlines in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia). She was also responsible for disseminating the movement. She cooperated particularly among the peasants to gather their support. [4] Tavarwisa also ensured that women in the camps were not being sexually harassed or exploited. [2]

Tavarwisa trained members, undertook missions and led revolts as a commander while managing to tend to her children. [5]

In 1978, Tavarwisa became ZANU's Deputy Secretary for Education. [6] She rose through the ranks and became a member of ZANU's supreme decision making body, the high command. [2] [6] She took part in planning strategies and was the only woman among 27 others. Apart from being a member of ZANU's women's department, she was elected to sit at the organization's central committee. [3]

Educator and politician Fay Chung, who was also a member of ZANU, commented on Tavarwasa that: [7] [8]

The only camp commander who to my knowledge refused to comply with this systematic abuse of some of the young women who had joined the struggle, many of them for the most idealistic of reasons, was Sheba Tavarwisa, a top woman commander and one of the first and most respected of women guerrillas. She was a skilled and wise leader, who managed to maintain her integrity while enjoying the absolute trust of Tongogara, despite the fact that she always refused to comply with his demands for women. Josiah Tongogara respected her combination of independence and loyalty.

— Dr. Fay Chung

Death

Tavarwisa died on 3 June 1994. [9]

She was buried in her village homestead in Gutu. She was not acknowledged as a hero, [10] [11] prompting ZANU-PF provincial official Mapiye Wekwete to question the late vice president Simon Muzenda about the criteria for recognizing pioneer war veterans.

Many male colleagues who later joined the struggle and even those who were trained by early female combatants such as Tavarwisa were granted hero status and buried at the National Heroes Acre. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabwe African National Union</span> 1963–1975 militant organisation in Rhodesia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster House Agreement</span> 1979 ceasefire agreement ending the Rhodesian Bush War

The Lancaster House Agreement, signed on 21 December 1979, declared a ceasefire, ending the Rhodesian Bush War; and directly led to Rhodesia achieving internationally recognised independence as Zimbabwe. It required the full resumption of direct British rule, nullifying the Unilateral Declaration of Independence of 1965. British governance would be strictly prescribed to the duration of a proposed election period followed by a formal power transfer back to a recognised, sovereign state. Constitutional instruments would thus be transferred from the British state to a popularly elected government, under an unqualified universal franchise vote. Crucially, the political wings of the black nationalist groups ZANU and ZAPU, who had been waging an increasingly violent insurgency, would be permitted to stand candidates in the forthcoming elections. This was however conditional to compliance with the ceasefire and the verified absence of voter intimidation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josiah Tongogara</span> Zimbabwean politician

Josiah Magama Tongogara was a commander of the ZANLA guerrilla army in Rhodesia. He was the brother of current Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa's second wife, Jayne. He attended the Lancaster House conference that led to Zimbabwe's independence and the end of white minority rule.

Operation Dingo was a major raid conducted by the Rhodesian Security Forces against the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) headquarters at Chimoio and a smaller camp at Tembue in Mozambique from 23 to 25 November 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabwe African National Union – Ndonga</span> Political party in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe African National Union – Ndonga is a minor political party in Zimbabwe. Its members were originally part of Zimbabwe African National Union, but split with what would become ZANU–PF over tribal tensions. A portion of the party reunified with ZANU-PF in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joice Mujuru</span> Zimbabwean politician

Joice Runaida Mujuru, also known by her nom-de-guerre Teurai Ropa Nhongo, is a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 2004 to 2014. Previously she had served as a government minister. She also served as Vice-President of ZANU–PF. She was married to Solomon Mujuru until his death in 2011 and was long considered a potential successor to President Robert Mugabe, but in 2014 she was denounced for allegedly plotting against Mugabe. As a result of the accusations against her, Mujuru lost both her post as Vice-President and her position in the party leadership. She was expelled from the party a few months later, after which she formed the new Zimbabwe People First party.

Margaret Dongo is a Zimbabwean politician known for speaking in favor of women's rights and out against corruption. She was an ex-combatant of the 1970s liberation war, served in parliament, and helped establish the Zimbabwe Union of Democrats (ZUD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army</span> 1965–1980 military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union

Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhodesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solomon Mujuru</span>

Solomon Mujuru, also known by his nom-de-guerre, 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. After leaving his post in the Zimbabwe National Army, he got into politics becoming Member of Parliament for Chikomba on a Zanu PF ticket. He was generally regarded as one of the most feared men in Zimbabwe. His wife, Joice Mujuru, became vice-president of Zimbabwe in 2004.

<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.

Articles related to Zimbabwe include:

The Nhari Rebellion occurred in November 1974, amidst the Rhodesian Bush War, when members of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) in Chifombo, Zambia rebelled against the leadership of the political party it was attached to, the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU).

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) is a Zimbabwean organisation established by former guerrillas of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) who served during the Rhodesian Bush War. While not considered a state entity, the ZNLWVA is dependent on funding and support from Zimbabwe's ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). In 2005, the government looked into ways to make members of the organisation part of the army of Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay Chung</span>

Fay King Chung is a Zimbabwean educator and was an independent candidate for the 2008 Zimbabwean senatorial election. Chung has worked to extend access to education and to bring education-with-production principles into school curricula in Zimbabwe and other developing countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constantino Chiwenga</span> Vice-President of Zimbabwe

Constantino Chiwenga, is a Zimbabwean politician and former army general currently serving, since 2017, as the First Vice-President of Zimbabwe under President Emmerson Mnangagwa. In August 2020, he added the Health Ministry to his portfolio.

Julia Tukai Zvobgo was a Zimbabwean activist and politician.

Thenjiwe Lesabe was a Zimbabwean nationalist who was also a teacher, war veteran and political activist.

The ZANU–PF Building is a 15-story high-rise building in Harare, Zimbabwe, which serves as the headquarters of ZANU–PF, the country's ruling party. The top floors of the building hold the offices of the ZANU–PF Politburo, lower floors hold other party offices, and the first floor is home to the ZANU Archives, which holds many records from the Rhodesian Bush War. The building hosts annual meetings of the party's politburo, central committee, and other organizations.

The ZANU–PF Women's League is the women's wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), the ruling political party of Zimbabwe.

Mabel Memory Chinomona is a Zimbabwean politician who is the current president of the Senate of Zimbabwe. Previously, she served as deputy speaker of the National Assembly from 2013 to 2018, and as MP for Mutoko North until her election as senate president in 2018. She has also served as secretary of the ZANU–PF Women's League since 2017.

References

  1. ↑ Teacher, Primary School; Fighter, Zimbabwe Liberation War (13 January 2022). "About Sheba Tavarwisa". Pindula. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Here are the Unsung Female Heroes Of Africa's Liberation Everyone Should Know". Women Africa. Jetheights Media. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Munyaradzi, Mawere; Tapuwa, Mubaya (12 December 2015). Colonial Heritage, Memory and Sustainability in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects. Langaa RPCIG. ISBN   978-9956-763-72-6 . Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  4. ↑ Chung, Fay (2006). Re-living the Second Chimurenga: Memories from the Liberation Struggle in Zimbabwe. African Books Collective. ISBN   978-1-77922-046-2.
  5. ↑ "Female Combatants and Shifting Gender Perceptions during Zimbabwe's Liberation War, 1966-79" (PDF). International Journal of Gender and Women's Studies. 2. March 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  6. 1 2 Nhongo-Simbanegavi, Josephine. "For Better Or Worse? Women And ZANLA In Zimbabwe's Liberation Struggle". ACCORD. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "Dr. Fay King Chung". Forum for African Women Educationalists: FAWE. African Women Educationalists. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Tafadzwa Ngoshi, Hazel (September 2013). "Masculinities and Femininities in Zimbabwean Autobiographies of Political Struggle: The Case of Edgar Tekere and Fay Chung". Journal of Literary Studies. 29 (3): 119–139. doi:10.1080/02564718.2013.810871. S2CID   216116695 . Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  9. ↑ Teacher, Primary School; Fighter, Zimbabwe Liberation War (13 January 2022). "About Sheba Tavarwisa". Pindula. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  10. 1 2 Matikinye, Ray (11 October 2007). "What credentials does a hero need?". The Zimbabwe Independent. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  11. ↑ Makura, John (22 June 2014). "Zanu PF not consistent on hero status". Nehanda Radio. Neharanda Radio. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
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.