| Dr. Joshua Nkomo BA | |
 Photo of Joshua Nkomo |
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Vice President of Zimbabwe
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| In office 1987 – 1999 |
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| President | Robert Mugabe |
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| Succeeded by | Joseph Msika |
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Minister of Home Affairs
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| In office 1980 – 1982 |
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| President | Canaan Banana |
| Prime Minister | Robert Mugabe |
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| Born | June 19, 1917 Southern Rhodesia |
| Died | July 1, 1999 (aged 82) Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Nationality | Zimbabwean |
| Political party | ZAPU ZANU-PF |
| Spouse | Johanna MaFuyana |
| Relations | Thomas Nyongolo Letswansto (Father) Mlingo Hadebe (Mother) |
| Children | 3 children |
| Zimbabwe |
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Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (June 19, 1917[1] - July 1, 1999) was the leader and founder of the Zimbabwe African People's Union and a member of the Kalanga tribe. A parliamentary election was held in Zimbabwe on March 31, 2005 to elect members to the Zimbabwe House of Assembly. A parliamentary election was held in Zimbabwe on March 29 2008 to elect members to both the House of Assembly and the Senate |||} Zimbabwe is divided into 8 Provinces and 2 cities with provincial status Bulawayo (city Harare (city Manicaland |||} The Provinces of Zimbabwe are divided into 59 districts and 1200 municipalities |||} The Districts of Zimbabwe are divided into 1200 municipal wards There are widespread reports of systematic and escalating violations of human rights in Zimbabwe under the Mugabe administration and his party ZANU-PF. The Foreign relations of Zimbabwe emphasize a close relationship with the People's Republic of China and South Africa, nations with close economic ties to Zimbabwe Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent Events 1179 - The Norwegian Battle of Kalvskinnet outside Nidaros. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Zimbabwe African People's Union is a defunct militant Communist organization and political party that fought for the National liberation of Zimbabwe from Kalanga may refer to Ikalanga language Kalanga Togo [2] He was affectionately known in Zimbabwe as Father Zimbabwe, Umdala Wethu, Umafukufuku or Chibwechitedza (the slippery rock). See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election
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Early life
Nkomo was born in Semokwe Reserve, Matabeleland in 1917 and was one of 8 children. Modern day Matabeleland is a region in Zimbabwe currently divided into two provinces Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South. His father (Thomas Nyongolo Letswansto Nkomo) worked as a preacher and a cattle rancher and worked for the London Missionary Society. The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational Missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and After completing his primary education in Rhodesia he took a carpentry course at the Tsholotsho Government Industrial School and studied there for a year before becoming a driver. He later tried animal husbandry before becoming a schoolteacher specialising in Carpentry at Manyame School in Kezi. For the television station in Eugene Oregon USA see KEZI. Kezi is a village in Matabeleland South province in Zimbabwe In 1942, aged 25 and during his occupation as a teacher, he decided that he should go to South Africa to further his education and do carpentry and qualify to a higher level. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa He attended Adams College and the Jan Hofmeyer School of Social Work in South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa [1] There he met Nelson Mandela and other regional nationalist leaders at the University of Fort Hare. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (xolíɬaɬa mandéːla born 18 July 1918 is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative Fort Hare University in South Africa was a key institution in higher education for black Africans from 1916 to 1959 However, he did not attend university at Fort Hare University. It was at the Jan Hofmeyr School that he was awarded a B.A. Degree in Social Science in 1952. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nkomo married his wife Johanna MaFuyana on 1 October 1949. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
After returning to Bulawayo in 1947, he became a trade unionist for black railway workers and rose to the leadership of the Railway Workers Union and then to leadership of the African National Congress in 1952. Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, after the capital Harare, with a population of 676000 (UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator Zimbabwe 2005 now estimated Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The African National Congress (ANC has been South Africa 's governing party supported by its Tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1960 he became president of the National Democratic Party which was later banned by the Rhodesian government. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He also became one of Zimbabwe's wealthiest self-made entrepreneurs.
Armed struggle
Nkomo was detained by Ian Smith's government in 1964, with fellow revolutionaries Ndabaningi Sithole, Edgar Tekere, Maurice Nyagumbo, Robert Mugabe, until 1974 when they were released due to pressure from South African president B.J. Vorster. Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID ( 8 April 1919 &ndash 20 November 2007) served as the Prime Minister of the British Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Ndabaningi Sithole ( 31 July 1920 – 12 December 2000) founded the Zimbabwe African National Union, a militant organization that opposed Edgar Zivanai Tekere (born April 1 1937) is a Zimbabwean Politician. Tapfumaneyi Maurice Nyagumbo (died 28 April[[ 989]] was a Zimbabwean politician Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Balthazar Johannes Vorster (13 December 1915 - 10 September 1983 better known as John Vorster ("FOUR-stir" served as the Prime Minister of South Africa Following Nkomo's release, he went to Zambia to continue the liberation struggle through the dual process of armed conflict and negotiation. The Republic of Zambia (ˈzæmbɪə is a Landlocked country in Southern Africa. Unlike ZANU's armed wing, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, ZAPU's armed wing, the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army, was dedicated to both guerrilla warfare and conventional warfare. Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army ( ZANLA) was the militant wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union, a militant Communist organization and participated Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army ( ZIPRA) was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a militant Communist organization in Rhodesia Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc At the time of independence ZIPRA had a modern military stationed in Zambia and Angola, consisting of Soviet Union-made Mikoyan fighters, tanks and armoured personnel carriers, as well as a well trained artillery units. The Republic of Zambia (ˈzæmbɪə is a Landlocked country in Southern Africa. Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (República de Angola Pronounced ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈgɔlɐ Repubilika ya Ngola is a country in south-central The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 JSC "RSK "MiG" or Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG in full (formerly Mikoyan or Mikoyan-i-Gurevich Design Bureau, Микоян
Joshua Nkomo was the target of two attempted assassinations. The first one, in Zambia, by the Selous Scouts, a pseudo-team. The Selous Scouts was a special forces regiment of the Rhodesian Army which operated from 1973 until the introduction of majority rule in 1980 But the mission was finally aborted, and attempted again, unsuccessfully, by the Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS) [3]. The Rhodesian Special Air Service or Rhodesian SAS refers to C Squadron Special Air Service Regiment (Second World War until 1960 "C"
ZAPU forces committed many acts of violence during their war to overthrow the Rhodesian government. Rhodesia was the name adopted when the formerly British colony of Southern Rhodesia declared itself independent ( Unilateral Declaration of Independence The most widely reported and possibly the most notorious were when his troops shot down two Air Rhodesia Vickers Viscount civilian passenger planes with surface-to-air missiles. Air Rhodesia was the national airline of Rhodesia. It was originally formed as a subsidiary of Central African Airways in June 1964 but became an independent WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft The first, on September 3, 1978, killed 38 out of 56 in the crash, with a further ten survivors (including children) shot by ZIPRA ground troops dispatched to inspect the burned-out wreckage. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) The eight remaining survivors managed to elude the guerrillas and walked 20km into Kariba from where the flight had taken off (it was headed for Salisbury, Rhodesia's capital, now renamed Harare). Kariba Zimbabwe Lake Kariba Kariba Dam Kariba Gorge Kariba (District Some of the passengers had serious injuries, and were picked up by local police and debriefed by the Rhodesian army. The second shootdown, on February 12, 1979, killed all 59 on board. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) The real target of the second shootdown was General Peter Walls, head of the COMOPS (Commander, Combined Operations), in charge of the Special Forces, including the SAS and the Selous Scouts. Lieutenant General George Peter Walls (born in 1927 served as the Commander of the Combined Operations Headquarters of the Military of Rhodesia, and later Zimbabwe Due to the large number of tourists returning to Salisbury a second flight had been dispatched. General Walls received a boarding card for the second flight which departed Kariba 15 minutes after the doomed aircraft. No-one has been brought to trial or charged with shooting down the aircraft due to amnesty laws passed by both Smith and Mugabe. In a televised interview not long after the first shootdown, Nkomo laughed and joked about the incident while admitting ZAPU had indeed been responsible for the attack on the civilian aircraft. In his memoirs, Story of My Life, published in 1985, Nkomo expressed regret for the shooting down of both planes.
Politics
Nkomo founded the National Democratic Party (NDP), and in 1960, the year British prime minister Harold Macmillan spoke of the "wind of change" blowing through Africa, Robert Mugabe joined him. Zimbabwe African People's Union is a defunct militant Communist organization and political party that fought for the National liberation of Zimbabwe from Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. (Maurice Harold Macmillan 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC (10 February 1894 &ndash 29 December 1986 was a British Conservative Politician The NDP was banned by Smith's white minority government, and it was subsequently replaced by the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU), also founded by Nkomo and Mugabe, in 1962, itself immediately banned. Zimbabwe African People's Union is a defunct militant Communist organization and political party that fought for the National liberation of Zimbabwe from Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ZAPU split in 1963 and while some have claimed this split was due to ethnic tensions, more accurately the split was motivated by the failure of Sithole, Mugabe, Takawira and Malianga to wrest control of ZAPU from Nkomo. ZAPU would remain a multi-ethnic party right up until independence.
An unpopular government called Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, led by Abel Muzorewa, was formed in 1979 between Ian Smith and Ndabaningi Sithole's ZANU, which by now had also split from Mugabe's more militant ZANU faction. Zimbabwe Rhodesia (zɪmˈbɑːbweɪ rəʊˈdiːʒə officially the Republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, was an unrecognized state that existed from June 1, Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa (born on 4 April 1925) served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia from the Internal Settlement to the Lancaster Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID ( 8 April 1919 &ndash 20 November 2007) served as the Prime Minister of the British Ndabaningi Sithole ( 31 July 1920 – 12 December 2000) founded the Zimbabwe African National Union, a militant organization that opposed The Zimbabwe African National Union was a militant organization that fought against White minority rule in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African However, the civil war waged by Nkomo and Mugabe continued unabated, and Britain and the USA did not lift sanctions on the country. Britain persuaded all parties to come to Lancaster House in September 1979 to work out a constitution and the basis for fresh elections. The Lancaster House Agreement ended biracial rule in Zimbabwe Rhodesia following negotiations between representatives of the Patriotic Front (PF consisting of ZAPU Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Mugabe and Nkomo shared a delegation, called the Patriotic Front (PF), at the negotiations chaired by Lord Carrington. Peter Alexander Rupert Carington 6th Baron Carrington and Baron Carington of Upton Elections were held in 1980, and to most observers' surprise Nkomo's ZAPU lost in a landslide to Mugabe's ZANU. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Zimbabwe African People's Union is a defunct militant Communist organization and political party that fought for the National liberation of Zimbabwe from The Zimbabwe African National Union was a militant organization that fought against White minority rule in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African The effects of this election would make both ZAPU and ZANU into tribally-based parties, ZANU with backing from the Shona majority, and ZAPU the Ndebele minority. Nkomo was offered the ceremonial post of President, but declined. President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries.
Coup d'état
Despite reaching their ultimate goal, overthrowing Ian Smith and the minority white Rhodesian Front party, Mugabe and Nkomo never did get along. Nkomo did always try to improve relationships between the two parties but Mugabe never took them as he always believed that ZAPU were more interested in overthrowing ZANU-PF. Allegedly, When Julius Nyerere summoned the two to a meeting to improve relationships with the two party leaders, they each went in Nyerere's office separately Nkomo then Mugabe. Julius Kambarage Nyerere ( April 13, 1922 - October 14, 1999) served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika When Mugabe went in and was offered a seat, Mugabe refused and went up to Nyerere's face and told him "If you think i'm going to sit right where that fat Bastard just sat, you'll have to think again". As a result of this strained relationship with the two, fighting between ZANLA and ZIPRA soldiers only increased and widened the gap between the two men.
Finally after much debate and refusals, Nkomo was appointed to the cabinet, but in 1982 was accused of plotting a coup d'état after South African double agents in Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organization, attempting to cause distrust between ZAPU and ZANU, planted arms on ZAPU owned farms, and then tipped Mugabe off to their existence. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The Central Intelligence Organisation ( CIO) is the national Intelligence agency or " Secret police " of Zimbabwe.
In a public statement Mugabe said, "ZAPU and its leader, Dr. Joshua Nkomo, are like a cobra in a house. The only way to deal effectively with a snake is to strike and destroy its head. "[4]
He unleashed the Fifth Brigade upon Nkomo's Matabeleland homeland in Operation Gukurahundi, killing more than 20,000 Ndebele civilians in an attempt to destroy ZAPU and create a one-party state. The Fifth Brigade was an Elite unit of specially-trained Zimbabwean soldiers The Gukurahundi ( Shona: "the early rain which washes away the Chaff before the spring rains" refers to an armed conflict between the Zimbabwe Government
| “ | NKOMO FLEES: ZAPU leader, Joshua Nkomo, fled in self-imposed exile to London after illegally crossing the Botswana frontier disguised as a woman on March 7th. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Republic of Botswana (Lefatshe la Botswana is a Landlocked nation in Southern Africa. 1983, claiming that his life was in danger, and that he was going to look for “solutions” to Zimbabwean problems abroad. ” (Government Printer, Harare 1984)[5]. ". . . nothing in my life had prepared me for persecution at the hands of a government led by black Africans. " (Nkomo - My Life, p. 1) | ” |
In the aforementioned book, 'The Story of My Life', Nkomo ridicules the suggestion (page 4) that he escaped dressed as a woman. "I expected they would invent stupid stories about my flight. . . . . People will believe anything if they believe that". After the Gukurahundi massacres, in 1987 Nkomo consented to the absorption of ZAPU into Zanu-PF, leaving Zimbabwe as effectively a one-party state, and leading some Ndebeles to accuse Nkomo of selling out. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF is a Zimbabwean Political party that was the ruling government in Zimbabwe This article relates to the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe For other uses of the term please see Ndebele. These Ndebele individuals were, however,in such a minority that they did not constitute a meaningful power base within the cross-section of ZAPU. In a powerless post, and with his health failing, his influence declined.
When asked late in his life why he allowed this to happen, he told historian Eliakim Sibanda that he did it to stop the murder of the Ndebele (who supported his party) and of the ZAPU politicians and organizers who had been targeted by Zimbabwe's security forces since 1982.
Nkomo had been an inactive member of the Missionary Church for most of his life. He converted to Roman Catholicism in 1999, shortly before he died of prostate cancer on July 1 at the age of 82 in Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Parirenyatwa General Hospital is the largest medical centre in Zimbabwe. Harare (həˈrɑreɪ or /həˈrɑri/ formerly Salisbury) is the Capital of Zimbabwe. [6]
Nkomo letters
Letters allegedly written by Nkomo to the prime minister Robert Mugabe while in exile in the United Kingdom began to resurface following his death in 1999. In the letters he argues against his persecution and accused the government of cracking down on opposition. [7]
National Hero status
In 1999 Nkomo was declared a National Hero and is buried in the National Heroes Acre in Harare. Harare (həˈrɑreɪ or /həˈrɑri/ formerly Salisbury) is the Capital of Zimbabwe.
On 27 June 2000, a set of four postage stamps were released by the Post and Telecommunications Corporation of Zimbabwe featuring Joshua Nkomo. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. They had denominations of ZW$2. The dollar is the Currency of Zimbabwe. It is subdivided into 100 cents. 00, $9. 10, $12. 00 and $16. 00 and were designed by Cedric D. Herbert.
References
- ^ a b Jessup, John E. An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 1945-1996. Page 533.
- ^ Hill, Geoff. The Battle for Zimbabwe: The Final Countdown, 2003. Page 52.
- ^ Cline, Lawrence E. (2005) Pseudo Operations and Counterinsurgency: Lessons from other countries, Strategic Studies Institute, read herep. The '''Strategic Studies Institute''' (SSIis the US Army 's institute for strategic and national security research and analysis 11
- ^ Paragraph 9 Informative letter to Prime Minister Mugabe
- ^ Joshua Nkomo, The Story of My Life, Methuen London 1984 or Sapes books Harare 2001, p. 4 "clown Herbert Ushewokunze, minister of home affairs"
- ^ [1] BBC News
- ^ [2] Zimbabwe Metro
- Nkomo: The Story of My Life, Joshua Nkomo, Nicholas Harman (Author); 1984; ISBN-10: 0413545008,ISBN-13: 978-0413545008, Autobiography
- The Zimbabwe African People's Union 1961-1987: A Political History of Insurgency in Southern Rhodesia.
- Terence O. Ranger, ‘Nkomo, Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo (1917–1999), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 18 June 2006
External links
- The Hunyani Disaster (about the first Viscount shootdown)
- BBC Obituary
- Joshua M Nkomo: A Bulawayo man who became "Father Zimbabwe"
- Nkomo's Letter,"Zimbabwe Metro"
- Nkomo's Letters Part 2
- Nkomo's Letters,The Conclusion
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