Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo
Joshua Mqabuko is the late Vice President of Zimbabwe who was better known by Zimbabweans as the Father of the nation or Father Zimbabwe
Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo was the Vice President of Zimbabwe who was better known as the Father of the Nation or the Founder of Zimbabwe. Together with the current President- Robert Mugabe, Nkomo led the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe. He was the leader of Zapu (Zimbabwe African People’s Union)
Early Life and Education
Joshua Nkomo spent his early life in the Kezi and Tsholotsho area of Matabeleland where he worked as a carpenter. In 1947, Nkomo graduated from Hofmeyr College in South Africa with a diploma in Social Work. He was later awarded an honorary degree in Law from Moore House College in 1979. In 1998, Nkomo was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from National University of Science and Technology.
Political Career
Joshua Nkomo was the president of the African National Congress party (no, not the one from South African, but the Rhodesian version) from 1952 to 1959. He was the founding president of three nationalist movements – African National Congress (1957 president of re-structured ANC), National Democratic Party (1959), and the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (1961). Interestingly in 1957 whilst president of the ANC, Nkomo was the only nationalist leader with a passport. He, therefore, was the one who attended the African People’s Congress in Ghana which was organised by Kwame Nkrumah.
As the president of ZAPU in 1961, Nkomo became the first nationalist leader to publicly call for political independence on a ‘one man one vote’ basis. In 1963, he was voted Life President of ZAPU. He remained president of ZAPU until 1987 when he signed the Unity Accord of Robert Mugabe leader of ZANU to form ZANU-PF. He was made the vice president of the new party and Zimbabwe after this agreement.
Nkomo was one of the key signatories of the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement which paved way for majority elections and a new Zimbabwe. In 1980, he participated in the elections as president of ZAPU and the party went on to win 20 seats in parliament. He was the first Minister of Home Affairs in Zimbabwe in 1980.
During his time, Nkomo managed to control the discontent of the Matabeleland region against the political and economic dominance of the Shona-led Zanu (PF) government of President Robert Mugabe. He had led the cease fire of the Gukurawonde, which was a war between the Shona and Ndebele, with the signing of the Unity Accord on 22nd of December 1987.
Religion
For most of his life, Joshua Nkomo was an inactive member of the London Missionary Society. However, just before his death, Nkomo changed and became a Catholic in 1999, the year of his death.
Death
Nkomo died unexpectedly in June 1999, after suffering from prostate cancer. His funeral attracted a record breaking 100 000 people. Both VIPs and ordinary Zimbabweans, filed past Dr. Nkomos body as it lay in state, many of them weeping openly. Thousands more also lined the streets as a hearse carried Dr. Nkomo to his final resting place, Heroes Acre – a national shrine dedicated to leaders of Zimbabwe’s war of Independence.
