State House, Harare

Last updated

State House
State House, Harare
Former namesGovernment House
General information
Type Official residence
Town or city Harare
Country Zimbabwe
Coordinates 17°48′43″S31°03′29″E / 17.81194°S 31.05806°E / -17.81194; 31.05806
Current tenants President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa
Completed1910
OwnerGovernment of Zimbabwe
Design and construction
Architect(s) Detmar Jellings Blow
Main contractorWilliam Cubitt & Co

State House, formerly known as Government House, is the official residence of the President of Zimbabwe and is located in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was previously used by the Administrator of Southern Rhodesia, Governor of Southern Rhodesia and the Governor-General of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in addition to being occupied by the internationally unrecognised Rhodesian Officer Administering the Government and later President of Rhodesia. It was constructed in 1910 to a design by Detmar Blow in the Cape Dutch revival style.

Contents

History

The Residency, 1895–1923

The Residency on the corner of Baines Avenue and Second Street was constructed in 1895 by Edward Arthur Maund as the home of the Resident Commissioner of the British South Africa Company that governed Rhodesia under Company rule to replace the Old Government House. [1] The Residency was purchased outright by the Company in 1901 for £3,500. [2] It shared the official government residence status in Rhodesia with Government House in Bulawayo which was constructed as the home of the founder of Rhodesia, Cecil Rhodes in 1897. [3] After the residency ceased use by the commissioner in 1923, it retained its use as an official residence for prominent political leaders in Southern Rhodesia including: Attorney-General Robert Hudson (1924–1932), Minister of Agriculture Frank Ernest Harris (1933–1942), Chief Justice Sir Robert Hudson (1943–1946), Minister of Mines George Arthur Davenport (1946–1950), Minister John Moore Caldicott (1950–1963) and Minister The Duke of Montrose (1963–1968). [4]

Government House, 1910–1980

Government House was designed to be the residence of the Administrator of Southern Rhodesia, in contrast to the nearby residency occupied by the Company Commissioner, and was built in 1910 in the Cape Dutch revival style by English architect Detmar Jellings Blow, who although never visiting southern Africa himself worked on designs for the Statue of Jan van Riebeeck in Cape Town and extensions for Government House, Bulawayo at the same time. [5] The construction was undertaken by William Cubitt & Co. [6]

Government House was the home of the Administrator of Southern Rhodesia (1910–1923), the Governor of Southern Rhodesia (1923–1953; 1963–1969; 1979–1980) and the Governor-General of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953–1963). [7] During the Federation, the Governor of Southern Rhodesia resided in Governor's Lodge in the suburb of Highlands. [8]

Following Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11 November 1965, the Governor of Southern Rhodesia Sir Humphrey Gibbs refused to leave the building to recognise the Rhodesian government as he declared he had dismissed them when they declared independence but the government continued to meet claiming they had abolished the Governor's office. [9] The Prime Minister of Rhodesia Ian Smith asked Gibbs to leave Government House but Gibbs refused, citing he was still legally the Governor and the Queen's representative. [10] On the day of UDI, Rhodesian Army officers approached Gibbs in Government House asking for a warrant to arrest Smith but Gibbs declined to issue one. [11] In response Rhodesian authorities removed his official cars and any signposts nearby bearing the name of "Governor's office". [12] They also cut off telephones and electricity to Government House and only addressed letters to it as "Stand 8060, Salisbury" by refusing to call it Government House. [12] They sent Gibbs monthly Rh£800 bills for rent which he refused to pay as the Rhodesian authorities also stopped his salary. [13] [14] [12] Gibbs survived on donations from his Rhodesian supporters. [12] Gibbs would continue to fly the Union Jack from the house as a symbol of defiance to Smith, who lived in Independence House opposite Government House. [12] Gibbs would only leave in 1969 after resigning following Rhodesia voting to become a republic. [13]

After Gibbs left, Clifford Dupont moved in as the Rhodesian recognised representative of the Queen as Officer Administering the Government and later President of Rhodesia when the republic was established on 2 March 1970 at Government House. [15] [16] Government House continued to serve as the location for official Rhodesian state events. [17]

State House, 1980–present

Following the independence of Zimbabwe, it was renamed "State House" and was used as the house of the President of Zimbabwe. [18] [19] During his time in office, Zimbabwe's first President Canaan Banana was accused of engaging in homosexual rape on several members of staff in State House. [20] His replacement Robert Mugabe moved in after Banana's fall as a result of the accusations. Following an attack on Mugabe's residence in 1982, a 6pm curfew was introduced to prevent any traffic passing in front of State House, this was removed in 2017. [21] In 2006, Mugabe moved his personal residence from State House to a newly constructed mansion in the Borrowdale suburb. [22] State House was retained as the location for official receptions. [23] In 2011, a report from 2008 was leaked alleging that State House was being used as a location by the Central Intelligence Organisation for state torture and abductions. [24]

In 2016, Mugabe unveiled a 3.7 m (12 ft) tall statue of himself in the grounds of State House. [25] After Mugabe was removed from office, it was reported that he left State House in a poor condition that was so bad it prevented his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa from moving in. [23] [26]

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">Ian Smith</span> Prime Minister of Rhodesia (1919–2007) in office from 1964 to 1979

Ian Douglas Smith was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 1964 to 1979. He was the country's first leader to be born and raised in Rhodesia, and led the predominantly white government that unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom in November 1965 in opposition to the UK's demands for the implementation of majority rule as a condition for independence. His 15 years in power were defined by the country's international isolation and involvement in the Rhodesian Bush War, which pitted the Rhodesian Security Forces against the Soviet- and Chinese-funded military wings of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Zimbabwe</span> Public university in Harare, Zimbabwe

The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University of Rhodesia, and adopted its present name upon Zimbabwe's independence in 1980. UZ is the oldest university in Zimbabwe.

<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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Rhodesia</span> Head of government of Rhodesia

The prime minister of Rhodesia was the head of government of Rhodesia. Rhodesia, which had become a self-governing colony of the United Kingdom in 1923, unilaterally declared independence on 11 November 1965, and was thereafter an unrecognized state until 1979. In December 1979, the country came under temporary British control, and in April 1980 the country gained recognized independence as Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifford Dupont</span> British-born Rhodesian politician

Clifford Walter Dupont was a British-born Rhodesian politician who served in the internationally unrecognised positions of officer administrating the government and president. Born in London and qualifying as a solicitor, Dupont served during the Second World War as an officer of the British Royal Artillery in North Africa before first visiting Southern Rhodesia in 1947. He returned a year later, started a ranch and emigrated full-time during the early 1950s, by which time the country had become a territory of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humphrey Gibbs</span> Governor of Southern Rhodesia from 1959 to 1965

Sir Humphrey Vicary Gibbs,, was the penultimate Governor of the colony of Southern Rhodesia, from 24 October 1964 described by its internationally unrecognised government simply as Rhodesia, who served until, and opposed, the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor of Southern Rhodesia</span> Representative of the monarch in Southern Rhodesia

The Governor of Southern Rhodesia was the representative of the British monarch in the self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia from 1923 to 1980. The Governor was appointed by the Crown and acted as the local head of state, receiving instructions from the British Government.

Kenneth Flower, ID was a Rhodesian police officer and intelligence chief.

During the 1960s, many independence movements emerged in countries near Rhodesia, which had significant effects on political affairs and social conditions within Rhodesia.

<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 maintains an embassy in Harare, and Zimbabwe maintains an embassy in Canberra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Zimbabwe</span> Ethnic group

The history of the Jews in Zimbabwe reaches back over one century. Present-day Zimbabwe was formerly known as Southern Rhodesia and later as Rhodesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political history of Zimbabwe</span>

The modern political history of Zimbabwe starts with the arrival of white people to what was dubbed Southern Rhodesia in the 1890s. The country was initially run by an administrator appointed by the British South Africa Company. The prime ministerial role was first created in October 1923, when the country achieved responsible government, with Sir Charles Coghlan as its first Premier. The third premier, George Mitchell, renamed the post prime minister in 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Beadle</span> Rhodesian lawyer and politician

Sir Thomas Hugh William Beadle, was a Rhodesian lawyer, politician and judge who served as Chief Justice of Southern Rhodesia from March 1961 to November 1965, and as Chief Justice of Rhodesia from November 1965 until April 1977. He came to international prominence against the backdrop of Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from Britain in November 1965, upon which he initially stood by the British Governor Sir Humphrey Gibbs as an adviser; he then provoked acrimony in British government circles by declaring Ian Smith's post-UDI administration legal in 1968.

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.

Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Limited, operating as Zimpapers, is a state-controlled Zimbabwean mass media company. Originally a newspaper Publishing company, in the 2010s it expanded its operations to include commercial printing, radio and television. The company's portfolio includes over a dozen Magazines and newspapers, including The Herald and The Chronicle, several radio stations, and a television network. It is the largest newspaper publisher in Zimbabwe.

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

Relations between the UK and Zimbabwe have been complex since the latter's independence in 1980. The territory of modern Zimbabwe had been colonised by the British South Africa Company in 1890, with the Pioneer Column raising the Union Jack over Fort Salisbury and formally establishing company, and by extension, British, rule over the territory. In 1920 Rhodesia, as the land had been called by the company in honour of their founder, Cecil Rhodes, was brought under jurisdiction of the Crown as the colony of Southern Rhodesia. Southern Rhodesia over the decades following its establishment would slowly be populated by large numbers of Europeans emigrants who came to form a considerable diaspora, largely consisting of Britons but also smaller groups of Italians, Greeks and Afrikaners. A settler culture that had already existed since the time of company would come to cement fully and the white population began to identify as Rhodesians, often in conjunction with British/Afrikaner/Southern European identities of their ancestors. Southern Rhodesia would go on to participate heavily in both the First and Second wars, providing soldiers and military equipment to the British war effort.

Zimbabwe House, formerly called Independence House and Dzimbahwe, is an official residence of the President of Zimbabwe in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was built in 1910 as was used as the house of the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia, Prime Minister of Rhodesia, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia and Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State House, Bulawayo</span> Presidential house in Bulawayo

State House, formerly called Government House, is a former Government House in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It was used by the British South Africa Company during their rule in Rhodesia. It was built by Cecil Rhodes in 1897 as his personal residence. It is now used as the official Bulawayo residence for the President of Zimbabwe.

References

  1. Jackson, Peter (1986). Historic Buildings of Harare, 1890–1940. Quest Publishing. p. 100. ISBN   9780908306022.
  2. Government of Southern Rhodesia (1924). Official Year Book of Southern Rhodesia (1st ed.). Central Statistical Office. p. 303. ASIN   B0040GHGXY.
  3. Msindo, Enocent (2012). Ethnicity in Zimbabwe. University of Rochester Press. p. 136. ISBN   9781580464185.
  4. "Harare's Historic buildings – the Avenues - The Residency (1895)". Zimfieldguide.com. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  5. "BLOW, Detmar Jellings". Artefacts.co.za. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  6. "Copy of a photograph showing an exterior view of Government House during its construction". Historic England. September 1910. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  7. Government of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1960). "Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Newsletter". No. 27–52. Nyasaland: Federal Information Department. p. 4.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  8. East Africa and Rhodesia, Volume 42, Africana, 1965, pages 339, 464
  9. "Rhodesia issues unilateral declaration of independence". The Guardian. 12 November 1965. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  10. "Mr Smith tells Governor to move out" . The Guardian. 13 November 1965. Retrieved 19 January 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hundreds of Rhodesians, black and white, helping Sir Humphrey pay bills" . The Glens Falls Times. 5 November 1966. Retrieved 19 January 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 "Queen's man resigns". The Age. 26 June 1969. Retrieved 19 January 2021 via Google News.
  14. "Sir Humphrey Gibbs; Britain's last Governor of Rhodesia". Los Angeles Times. 11 November 1990. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  15. "Humphrey Gibbs, 87, of Rhodesia And a Foe of White Rebels, Dies". New York Times. 8 November 1990. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  16. "1970: Ian Smith declares Rhodesia a republic". BBC News. 2 March 1991. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  17. "4 Black Cabinet Ministers Take the Oath in Rhodesia". New York Times. 29 April 1976. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  18. "'They say that power corrupts – and it does'". The Guardian. 23 January 2002. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  19. "Rival factions receive equal army positions" . Calgary Herald. 18 April 1981. Retrieved 19 January 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Canaan Banana, president jailed in sex scandal, dies". The Guardian. 11 November 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  21. "Mnangagwa to lift restrictions on travelling past State House at night". Eyewitness News. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  22. "Mugabe's mansion sealed off". The Zimbabwe Independent. 24 March 2006. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  23. 1 2 "Mugabes left official residences in 'terrible state'". News24. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  24. "CIO offices, torture centres exposed". The Zimbabwean. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  25. "Robert Mugabe statue: Zimbabwe sculptor denies mocking president". BBC News. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  26. newsday (17 April 2018). "State House under major renovations". Newsday. Retrieved 19 January 2021.

See also