Enerst Kadungure
Enerst Kadungure was a Zimbabwean politician and national hero and a founder member of ZANU (1963).
Kadungure was born on 13 February 1942 at Enkeldoorn (now Chivhu) in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe.
He received his education from various schools in and around the province and country namely St Thomas Primary School, Daramombe Mission, Loreto Mission and St Augustine Mission in Penhalonga.
He began his career as a teacher Narira and Chitsere Schools between 1960 and 1964. From 1964 to 1966 he worked as a trainee administrator in the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in Lusaka, Zambia.
1966-67 he worked as a Computer Section Supervisor within the Ministry of Lands and National Resources in Zambia.
Enerst left work in Zambia in 1967 for the ZANLA camps in Tanzania to receive military training from 1967-69. Soon after training he found himself in Mozambique where he saw action as he was involved in military activities in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique between 1969-72. During the same period he was appointed Chief Instructor (ZANLA) training camp 1971-72.
For the following couple of years he was engaged in military action and soon became a member of the General Staff and High Command of ZANLA.
In 1974 he left Mozambique for Tanzania where he would serve as Training Officer of the ZANLA forces. While in Zambia in 1975 he and other leaders of Dare ReChimurenga were arrested by the Kenneth Kaunda government following the assassination of ZANU leader Herbert Chitepo.
When he was released from prison in 1976 he returned to military activities and was elected member of Central Committee (ZANU) 1977. He was a delegate at the Lancaster House Conference in London, United Kingdom.
Following the country’s independence in 1980 Kadungure was elected ZANU-PF member of parliament for Midlands and subsequently appointed Minister of Transport and Power by the Prime Minister between 1980-81. In a cabinet reshuffle of 1981 he became Minister of Youth, Sports and Recreation. From 1984 he was appointed and served as Minister of State for Defense and 1988, Senior Minister of State for Political Affairs a position he held until his death at Parirenyatwa on 31 May 1990.
He was declared a national hero and buried at the National Heroes Acre.
