Ruth Chinamano

Politician and National Hero

Ruth Chinamano was a nationalist and wife to the late national hero Josiah Chinamano. She was born in Cape Town, South Africa on the 16th of February 1925. She studied at the Maria Zell Teacher Training College in Matatiele in what was known then as East Griqualand. In 1948 she started teaching at Lourdes, a school located at the border between the Cape and Natal.

In 1949, while on holiday at Port Elizabeth, she met the Zimbabwean nationalist Josiah Chinamano. The two married in 1950 and shortly afterwards they left for Rhodesia, where she taught at Waddilove Institute, near Marandellas (Marondera), 60 km east of Salisbury.

 In 1964 she was detained in Gonakudzingwa Restriction Camp, near the Mozambique border, with her husband and spent the next decade in and out of detention. She and her husband were transferred from Gonakudzingwa to Wha wha prison, outside Gwelo, where they remained until 1970, when they were released but confined to an 8 km radius restriction before being arrested again, being released again in 1974.

She was elected to parliament when Zimbabwe held non-racial elections in 1980.

She died on January 2 2005 and was declared a national hero. She is buried at the national heroes acre in Harare.

Education:

Saint Matthews College, Cape Province, South Africa

Maria Zell Teachers College, South Africa

Career:

Teacher, Waddilove College Zimbabwe

Political Career:

Member, National Democratic Party (NDP)

Chairwoman, Mashonaland South Province (ANC) 1974

Member, Central Committe (ANC)