Joseph Msika
Encyclopedia
Joseph Wilfred Msika was a Zimbabwe
an politician who served as Vice President of Zimbabwe
from 1999 to 2009.
. He attended Howard and Mt Selinda institutes, where he trained to become a carpentry teacher. He then moved to Bulawayo
, where he worked as a carpenter and ran a fish-and-chip shop.
Later, Msika was a teacher at Usher Institute and became active in nationalist politics, working with nationalists such as Masotsha Ndlovu and Benjamin Burombo. He joined the Rhodesia Textile and Allied Workers' Union around 1944 or 1945.
(ZAPU), its successor organization. As a result of his political activities, he was detained at Khami Maximum Security, Selukwe and Marandellas prisons from 1959 to 1961. He joined the National Democratic Party in 1961 and was elected a councillor.
In 1963, Msika was elected as ZAPU Secretary for Youth Affairs, and after the NDP was banned he became Secretary for External Affairs of the People's Caretaker Party.
Police arrested Msika in 1964 while he was in the home of Josiah Mushore Chinamano
, and was detained at Gonakudzingwa Restriction Camp
. In 1979, Msika was a member of the delegation to the Lancaster House Agreement
that forged independence for Zimbabwe.
and George Silundika. He was also nominated to the Senate
with backing from the Zimbabwe African National Union
(ZANU) of Prime Minister Robert Mugabe
. He was dismissed from the government in 1982, when ZANU accused ZAPU of plotting to seize power. Msika was Vice-President of ZAPU from 1984 to 1987, and he was elected to the House of Assembly
in 1985 from Pelandaba constituency. Following that election, he was appointed as Minister of Public Construction and National Housing.
As a representative of ZAPU, Msika signed the Unity Accord between ZANU and ZAPU, creating the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front
(ZANU-PF), on 22 December 1987. Joshua Nkomo, the leader of ZAPU, was given the post of Vice-President of Zimbabwe. Msika served as Senior Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development in the President's Office from 1988 to 1995, then as Minister without Portfolio from 1995 to 1999. He also served for a time as National Chairman of ZANU-PF. Following Nkomo's death, Msika succeeded him as Vice-President on 23 December 1999. He was not a candidate in the June 2000 parliamentary election.
On 5 March 2005, Msika was taken into hospital after collapsing at home, apparently having suffered a stroke and a blood clot in his head. He did not run in the March 2005 parliamentary election, but Mugabe appointed him to one of the thirty unelected seats in the House of Assembly. He also did not run in the March 2008 parliamentary election
, but was appointed to the Senate by Mugabe on 25 August 2008. He was then sworn in again as Vice-President by Mugabe on 13 October 2008, together with Joyce Mujuru
. In January 2009, when Mugabe went on his customary annual leave, Msika became Acting President.
Msika became ill while attending a regional summit in June 2009, reportedly due to a stroke, and was treated at a South African hospital. He subsequently died at the West End Hospital in Harare
on 4 August 2009 due to hypertension
; he had been hospitalized there for 46 days. Later in the day, the ZANU-PF Politburo met and agreed to confer upon Msika the status of national hero; it also agreed that he would be buried at National Heroes Acre
. At the time of his death, Msika was the Second Secretary of ZANU-PF.
After his death, Mugabe stated that Msika, together with nationalists like George Nyandoro
, James Chikerema
, Maurice Nyagumbo
and Daniel Madzimbamuto, stood out as part of a generation of "fearless founder nationalists to taste arrest and incarceration under the notorious Federal Preventive Detention Laws of February 1959" following the banning of the African National Congress. Msika's funeral was held on 10 August, thereby coinciding with National Heroes Day. President Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
, and Deputy Prime Ministers Thokozani Khupe and Arthur Mutambara
were all present for the funeral, at which Msika was buried with full military honors; various high-ranking regional officials, including South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, were also present. Speaking at the funeral, Mugabe sharply criticized the attitude of Western countries toward Zimbabwe and declared that "our nation will never prosper through foreign handouts".
Msika dismissed Mugabe's past apology for the 1987 Gukurahundi
killings, which was condemned internationally for the violence it unleashed on mainly rural Ndebele, at a rally in October 2006 in Bulawayo
. "When we asked him about the massacres he apologized, but I was not convinced about his sincerity," he said.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an politician who served as Vice President of Zimbabwe
Vice President of Zimbabwe
- List 1st Vice President of Zimbabwe :- List 2nd Vice President of Zimbabwe :...
from 1999 to 2009.
Early life
Msika was born in the Chiweshe district of Southern RhodesiaSouthern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
. He attended Howard and Mt Selinda institutes, where he trained to become a carpentry teacher. He then moved to Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
, where he worked as a carpenter and ran a fish-and-chip shop.
Later, Msika was a teacher at Usher Institute and became active in nationalist politics, working with nationalists such as Masotsha Ndlovu and Benjamin Burombo. He joined the Rhodesia Textile and Allied Workers' Union around 1944 or 1945.
During the Bush War
Msika was elected as National Treasurer of the African National Congress in 1957; it was subsequently banned, at which point Msika became Secretary for Youth in the Zimbabwe African People's UnionZimbabwe African People's Union
The Zimbabwe African People's Union was a militant organization and political party that fought for the national liberation of Zimbabwe from its founding in 1961 until it merged with the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front in December 1987....
(ZAPU), its successor organization. As a result of his political activities, he was detained at Khami Maximum Security, Selukwe and Marandellas prisons from 1959 to 1961. He joined the National Democratic Party in 1961 and was elected a councillor.
In 1963, Msika was elected as ZAPU Secretary for Youth Affairs, and after the NDP was banned he became Secretary for External Affairs of the People's Caretaker Party.
Police arrested Msika in 1964 while he was in the home of Josiah Mushore Chinamano
Josiah Mushore Chinamano
Josiah Mushore Chinamano fought in the Rhodesian Bush War on behalf of the Zimbabwe African People's Union. He later served as the Minister of Transport....
, and was detained at Gonakudzingwa Restriction Camp
Gonakudzingwa Restriction Camp
Gonakudzingwa Restriction Camp in Southern Rhodesia near the Mozambique border, was set up by the Smith regime....
. In 1979, Msika was a member of the delegation to the Lancaster House Agreement
Lancaster House Agreement
The negotiations which led to the Lancaster House Agreement brought independence to Rhodesia following Ian Smith’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965. The Agreement covered the Independence Constitution, pre-independence arrangements, and a ceasefire...
that forged independence for Zimbabwe.
Post-independence
In 1980, Msika was included in the first post-independence government as Minister of Natural Resources and Water Development; he was one of three representatives of ZAPU in the Cabinet, along with Joshua NkomoJoshua Nkomo
Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo was the leader and founder of the Zimbabwe African People's Union and a member of the Kalanga tribe...
and George Silundika. He was also nominated to the Senate
Senate of Zimbabwe
The Senate of Zimbabwe is the upper chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It existed from 1980 to 1989, and was re-introduced in November 2005....
with backing from the Zimbabwe African National Union
Zimbabwe African National Union
The Zimbabwe African National Union was a militant organization that fought against the standing government in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union...
(ZANU) of Prime Minister Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
. He was dismissed from the government in 1982, when ZANU accused ZAPU of plotting to seize power. Msika was Vice-President of ZAPU from 1984 to 1987, and he was elected to the House of Assembly
House of Assembly of Zimbabwe
The House of Assembly of Zimbabwe is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It was the unicameral legislative body from 1989 until late November 2005, when the Senate was re-introduced....
in 1985 from Pelandaba constituency. Following that election, he was appointed as Minister of Public Construction and National Housing.
As a representative of ZAPU, Msika signed the Unity Accord between ZANU and ZAPU, creating the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front
Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front
The Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front has been the ruling party in Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, led by Robert Mugabe, first as Prime Minister with the party simply known as ZANU, and then as President from 1988 after taking over ZAPU and retaining the name ZANU-PF...
(ZANU-PF), on 22 December 1987. Joshua Nkomo, the leader of ZAPU, was given the post of Vice-President of Zimbabwe. Msika served as Senior Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development in the President's Office from 1988 to 1995, then as Minister without Portfolio from 1995 to 1999. He also served for a time as National Chairman of ZANU-PF. Following Nkomo's death, Msika succeeded him as Vice-President on 23 December 1999. He was not a candidate in the June 2000 parliamentary election.
On 5 March 2005, Msika was taken into hospital after collapsing at home, apparently having suffered a stroke and a blood clot in his head. He did not run in the March 2005 parliamentary election, but Mugabe appointed him to one of the thirty unelected seats in the House of Assembly. He also did not run in the March 2008 parliamentary election
Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 2008
A parliamentary election was held in Zimbabwe on March 29, 2008 to elect members to both the House of Assembly and the Senate of the Zimbabwean parliament...
, but was appointed to the Senate by Mugabe on 25 August 2008. He was then sworn in again as Vice-President by Mugabe on 13 October 2008, together with Joyce Mujuru
Joyce Mujuru
Joice Mujuru is a Zimbabwean politician serving as Vice President of Zimbabwe. She has held this post since December 2004, and is also Vice President of ZANU-PF...
. In January 2009, when Mugabe went on his customary annual leave, Msika became Acting President.
Msika became ill while attending a regional summit in June 2009, reportedly due to a stroke, and was treated at a South African hospital. He subsequently died at the West End Hospital in Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
on 4 August 2009 due to hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
; he had been hospitalized there for 46 days. Later in the day, the ZANU-PF Politburo met and agreed to confer upon Msika the status of national hero; it also agreed that he would be buried at National Heroes Acre
National Heroes Acre (Zimbabwe)
National Heroes Acre or simply Heroes Acre is a burial ground and national monument in Harare, Zimbabwe. The site is situated on a ridge seven kilometres from Harare along the main Harare-Bulawayo Road. The shrine is a national monument of Zimbabwe...
. At the time of his death, Msika was the Second Secretary of ZANU-PF.
After his death, Mugabe stated that Msika, together with nationalists like George Nyandoro
George Nyandoro
George Nyandoro served as the General Secretary of Zimbabwe African People's Union. An ethnic Shona, Nyandoro was one of the founders of the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress. The late National Hero Cde...
, James Chikerema
James Chikerema
James Robert Dambaza Chikerema served as the President of the Front for the Liberation of Zimbabwe. He changed his views on militant struggle in the late 1970s and supported the 'internal settlement', serving in the attempted power-sharing governments.-Early life:Chikerema was born at Kutama...
, Maurice Nyagumbo
Maurice Nyagumbo
Tapfumaneyi Maurice Nyagumbo was a Zimbabwean politician.Working in South Africa in the 1940s, he joined the South African Communist Party. He spent most of the years 1957 to 1979 in detention in Southern Rhodesia. During this time he wrote an autobiography, With the People...
and Daniel Madzimbamuto, stood out as part of a generation of "fearless founder nationalists to taste arrest and incarceration under the notorious Federal Preventive Detention Laws of February 1959" following the banning of the African National Congress. Msika's funeral was held on 10 August, thereby coinciding with National Heroes Day. President Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
Morgan Tsvangirai
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. He is the President of the Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai and a key figure in the opposition to President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on 11 February 2009...
, and Deputy Prime Ministers Thokozani Khupe and Arthur Mutambara
Arthur Mutambara
Arthur Guseni Oliver Mutambara is a Zimbabwean politician. He became the President of the Movement for Democratic Change-Mutambara faction in February 2006. He has worked as the Managing Director and CEO of Africa Technology and Business Institute since September 2003...
were all present for the funeral, at which Msika was buried with full military honors; various high-ranking regional officials, including South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, were also present. Speaking at the funeral, Mugabe sharply criticized the attitude of Western countries toward Zimbabwe and declared that "our nation will never prosper through foreign handouts".
Disagreements with Mugabe
"Samkange insulted us, saying he could not work with unschooled people. Dumbutshena also insulted us saying we were unemployable and violent people against the whites. Mwanaka never responded. But Nkomo said what we were planning to do, the road that we would walk, would be a thorny one and said if we were prepared to face it he would join us, which he did," said Msika. He said it was then that Nkomo became the leader of the struggle. Msika accused the ZANU-PF of "lying" to the world about being the pioneers in the liberation struggle. "The true history of the liberation struggle should be told. I feel I have a duty to correct this blatant lie..."Msika dismissed Mugabe's past apology for the 1987 Gukurahundi
Gukurahundi
The Gukurahundi refers to the suppression by Zimbabwe's 5th Brigade in the predominantly Ndebele regions of Zimbabwe most of whom were supporters of Joshua Nkomo. A few hundred disgruntled former ZIPRA combatants waged armed banditry against the civilians in Matabeleland, and destroyed government...
killings, which was condemned internationally for the violence it unleashed on mainly rural Ndebele, at a rally in October 2006 in Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
. "When we asked him about the massacres he apologized, but I was not convinced about his sincerity," he said.