Nkomo, Joshua Also known as: Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo Born: 1917 Died: 1999 Occupation: vice president of Zimbabwe From: Biographical Dictionary of Modern World Leaders: 1992–Present. Joshua Nkomo was born on June 19, 1917, in the Semokwe Reserve, Matabeland, then a British protectorate called Southern Rhodesia. His father was a prosperous cattle rancher, lay preacher, and member of the Kalanga tribe. Nkomo received his primary education at a missionary school and subsequently attended the Empandeni Mission school in Plumtree.l and the Jan Hofmeyer School in South Africa. He returned in 1945 and worked for Rhodesian Railways as the colonys first African social worker. Intent on receiving greater education, in 1951 he obtained his bachelors degree by correspondence from the University of South Africa. Africans at this time, though constituting the overwhelming majority of Rhodesias population, were marginalized politically and powerless to influence the course of national affairs. Nkomo, like many Africans of his generation, resented the racially discriminatory practices of European settlers, and it spurred him to become politically active. He proved himself effective at union organizing and later joined the African National Congress (ANC), a leading nationalist organization. In 1959 Rhodesia banned the ANC and Nkomo was forced to flee to England, where he established a party office. He returned two years later to head a new organization, the National Democratic Party, and he continued agitating for an end to colonial rule. When the government banned his newest entity, Nkomo abandoned pacifism and founded the Zimbabwe Peoples Union (ZAPU) as a formal guerrilla group. By this time he had become celebrated for his massive girth and height and his fierce opposition to white rule, yet he remained distinguished by a willingness to settle accounts through negotiation. Despite revolutionary leanings, Nkomo was conservative and cautious by nature, traits which aggravated younger, less patient members of ZAPU. Foremost among them was Robert Mugabe, who broke away to form a splinter force of his own, the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU). In 1965 Rhodesia declared its independence from Great Britain and installed a minority white regime under Ian Smith. Nkomo forcefully protested the move, was arrested, and spent a decade either behind bars or in close confinement. He was released under a general amnesty in 1974, as the guerrilla war began picking up momentum, yet he was still willing to discuss a peaceful transition to majority rule. However, Nkomo faced stiff competition from the more radical Mugabe and his competing ZANU group, which continued waging war. As the conflict unfolded, ZAPU operated at home with aid from the Soviet Union, whereas ZANU was based in Tanzania, assisted by China. There was considerable hostility between the two factions and little in the manner of military coordination. It was not until 1976 that both groups held talks and formed the Patriotic Front against the Rhodesian government. By 1980 their combined guerrilla movements had prevailed and, through negotiations, the Lancaster House Accords led to creation of a new country, Zimbabwe. After successfully concluding a 30-year struggle, Nkomo felt he rightly deserved to be the first president. No sooner were national elections scheduled than additional friction between Nkomo, as the senior nationalist figure, and Mugabe, who controlled the largest military force, began anew. Elections held in 1980 were decided along tribal lines, and Nkomo lost badly. Mugabe was then created prime minister, although he assembled a reconciliation government by appointing Nkomo a cabinet minister. However, by 1982 Nkomo had been ejected from government on the grounds that he was planning an insurrection, and fighting between the factions ensued. In 1985 Nkomo lost another round of national elections because he still lacked the large population base that Mugabe enjoyed. A five-year impasse ensued until 1987, when their respective parties were merged into a one-party state, and Mugabe appointed Nkomo minister without portfolio. In 1990 the national constitution was then revised, and Mugabe became president while Nkomo served as one of two vice presidents. He served loyally in that capacity over the next six years, reemerging as a spokesman for African nationalism. In 1997 Nkomo, citing poor health, resigned from office. He died of prostate cancer in Harare on July 1, 1999. Hailed as Umdala Wethu (Our Old Man), Nkomo was a founding father of Zimbabwe and, for a half a century, a leading player in the war against colonialism.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 18:13:36 +0000
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