Simbarashe Mumbengegwi
Simbarashe Mumbengegwi is a Zimbabwean political scientist, diplomat and politician.
He was born in Chivi, Masvingo Province on July 20, 1945, in Zimbabwe and received his primary and secondary education at Mukotosi School (1953-56), Gresham School (1957-59), Dadaya Mission (1960-61)and Fletcher High School (1962-65).
He left the country for a higher education and enrolled at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia graduating in 1971 with a Bachelors Degree (Combined Honours) in Politics and History. In 1972 he attained an Education Diploma followed by a Masters Degree in Education in 1976 from the same university. After independence, he enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe for a Masters in Public Administration graduating in 1990.
Career:
Mumbengegwi started off his career teaching at his former school Dadaya Mission in Zimbabwe. He also worked as:
- Lecturer, Mannix College, Monash University, Australia (1973-75)
- Teacher, Prahran High School, Melbourne, Australia (1975-77)
- Teacher Devoton High Melbourne, (1977-78)
- Lecturer Political Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (1978-79)
Political Career:
Dr. Mumbegwegwi started his political career as a ZANU activist in exile, he became the party’s deputy representative in Australia and the Far East during the early 1970s and chief representative in the same region from 1973-1976. He later moved to Zambia and held the same position.
Following the country’s independence, he was elected ZANU-PF Member of Parliament for Midlands Province from 1980 to 1990.
Various appointments followed his election victory, these include:
- Deputy Speaker of Parliament from 1980 to 1981
- Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1981 serving in the position until 1982
- Minister of Water Resources and Development (1982-84)
- Minister of Public Construction and National Housing (1984-88)
- Minister of Transport (1988-90)
- ZANU_PF Provincial Treasurer for the Midlands (1981-84)
- ZANU-PF Member of the Central Committee(1984-94)
- Central Committee Deputy Secretary for Publicity and Information (1984-89)
- Zimbabwe’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1990-95)
- Vice-President of the United Nations General Assembly (1990-91)
- Member of the United Nations Security Council (1991-92)
- Ambassador of Zimbabwe to Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and United Kingdom
- Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2005
