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Richard Muponde Zimpapers Politics Hub

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa celebrated his 82nd birthday on Sunday marking a significant milestone in his long and distinguished political career which started in the 1960s.

The President’s journey before and after independence, from several ministerial portfolios to the Presidency in 2017 demonstrates his extensive experience and contribution in the birth of Zimbabwe.

His contributions across various positions have shaped the country’s political landscape over the past four decades.

President Mnangagwa has had a long and distinguished political career in Zimbabwe, serving in various capacities since 1980.

Some of his key achievements during this period include:

Shaping national security

On March 12, 1980, more than a month before Zimbabwe’s independence, the then incoming Prime Minister, the late Robert Mugabe named his first Cabinet and Cde Mnangagwa was appointed Minister of State for National Security in the President’s Office.

Among other roles, he oversaw the Central Intelligence Organisation, the national intelligence agency, which at the time needed deft manoeuvring as emotions between the former contending forces were still high.

In that position, he cultivated and restructured the security architecture.

After the dismissal of Rhodesian commander, General Peter Walls, on September 15, 1980, Cde Mnangagwa took over as Chairman of the Joint Operations Command (JOC).

In that role, he oversaw the integration of ZANLA and ZIPRA fighters with the pre-existing units of the Rhodesian army. During this period, he also served as ZANU’s secretary for national security.

In the 1985 Parliamentary election, Cde Mnangagwa ran as the ZANU candidate for the Kwekwe East constituency.

He won with 86 percent of the vote, defeating ZAPU’s Elias Hananda and the United African National Council’s Kenneth Kumbirayi Kaparepare, who got 11 percent and 3 percent of the vote respectively.

Justice

In 1988, the late former President, Cde Mugabe appointed Cde Mnangagwa Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

Cde Mnangagwa also doubled up as acting Minister of Finance from 1995 to 1996, after the previous minister, Cde Bernard Chidzero, stepped down on health grounds.

He was also acting Minister of Foreign Affairs for a short period. In 1998, Cde Mnangagwa was put in charge of Zimbabwe’s intervention in the DRC conflict in which the Zimbabwe military entered the Democratic Republic of the Congo to defend the country’s territorial                                          integrity.

A 2000 article in the Zimbabwean magazine Moto described Cde Mnangagwa as President Mugabe’s heir apparent.

“With the DRC issue at hand, it has been difficult to tell whether he is the Minister of Justice or the Minister of Defence as he has been shuttling between Harare and Kinshasa,” reads part of the Moto article.

Parliamentary Affairs

President Mnangagwa ran in the 2000 Parliamentary election as the ZANU PF candidate for the Kwekwe constituency.

On July 17, 2000, President Mugabe announced a new Cabinet, from which Cde Mnangagwa was absent.

However, the next day, the Members of Parliament were sworn in, and Cde Mnangagwa was elected Speaker of the House of Assembly, receiving 87 votes against the MDC candidate Mike Mataure’s 59 votes.

The secret ballot election was the first competitive Speaker’s election since the country’s independence.

 Reconnecting

with the grassroots

Cde Mnangagwa was appointed to one of the unelected seats in Parliament. Cde John Nkomo replaced Cde Mnangagwa as Speaker of Parliament.

In the new Cabinet, the late former President Mugabe named Cde Mnangagwa Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities.

2005-2009

He was appointed Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities (2005-2009).

Social amenities, or public amenities, refer to places, buildings or infrastructural facilities, which are to be shared and to become convergence spots for the local and surrounding communities.

Vice Presidency (2014-2017)

President Mnangagwa was appointed as the Vice President of Zimbabwe in 2014, serving under the late former President Robert Mugabe.

This position paved the way for his eventual ascension to the presidency.

Presidency (2017-present)

President Mnangagwa became the President of Zimbabwe in 2017 after the resignation of Cde Robert Mugabe. Since then, he has focused on economic reforms, anti-corruption efforts, and improving Zimbabwe’s international relations.

Re-election

He was re-elected President for a Second Term in August 2023 and is the current SADC Chairperson after assuming the post at the just ended August 44th SADC Summit held in Mt Hampden in Zimbabwe.