Full Name: ROBERT GABRIEL MUGABE
Born 21st February, 1924, at Kutama Mission in Zvimba, about eighty kilometres from Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
Son of the late Mr Gabriel Mugabe and the late Mrs Bona Mugabe (nee Shonhiwa)
Married April 1961 to the late Sarah Francesca Hayfron (1932 - 1992)
Re-married August 1996 to Grace Marufu. Has three children, one girl and two boys.
B.A. (Fort Hare);
B. Admin., B.Ed (UNISA);
B.Sc. Econ., LLB, LLM , Msc. Econ. (University of London).
i) State and Government
First Executive President of Zimbabwe (December 1987 to date).
Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (April 1980 to December 1987).
ii) Teaching Career
Taught at various schools in Zimbabwe between 1942 and 1949, and between 1952 and 1955;
Lectured at Chalimbana Teacher Training College, Zambia (1955 - 1958);
Lectured on a four-year contract at St Mary’s Teacher Training College, Takoradi, Ghana (1958 - 1960).
Terminated the contract at the behest of National Democratic Party (NDP) leadership and joined full-time nationalist politics.
Hon. LLD (Ahmadou Bello; Morehouse; University of Zimbabwe; Edinburgh; St Augustine’s College; Massachusetts; Moscow; Michigan and Solusi)
Hon. D Litt. (Africa University)
Hon. D Civil Laws (Mauritius);
Hon. D Com. (Fort Hare);
Hon. D Tech. (National University of Science and Technology).
Awarded the Order of Jamaica, September 1996.
Assumed Chairmanship of the OAU , June 1997.
Hosted the World Solar Summit, September 1996.
Elected first Chairman of SADC Organ on Defence, Politics and Security, June 1996.
Assumed Chairmanship of the G15 group of countries, November 1995.
Awarded the Olympic Order of Gold for his eminent contribution to the Olympic ideals. September 1995.
Conferred Chairmanship of the World Solar Commission in March 1995. The Commission seeks use of eco-friendly energy sources.
Assumed Chairmanship of the Frontline States in March 1992 and also led the OAU Ad-Hoc Committee on Angola.
Hosted the 1991 Commonwealth Summit and assumed Chairmanship of CHOGM for the next three years.
Received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award 1989.
Awarded Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger on 15th September, 1988, by the US-based Hunger Project. Used the US$100 000 prize to launch a National Agricultural Scholarship Fund.
Hosted and elected Chairman of the 101-strong Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in September, 1986.
Current First Secretary and President of Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).
Re-elected for same portfolios at Party Congresses of September 1994, December 1989 and August,1984.
Led ZANU ( PF) to repeated landslide victories from March 1980 (57 out of the 80 common roll seats in the House of Assembly); 1985 (64 out of 80 common rolls seats),1990 (117 out of 120 contested parliamentary seats); 1995 (118 out of 120 contested Parliamentary seats) and in the 1990 and 1996 Presidential elections.
Formed a Government of National Unity in 1980, drawing its members from all major political parties to the 15 - year conflict.
Pronounced the famous Policy of National Reconciliation after winning the first National elections in March 1980, thus restoring confidence, peace and stability and enabling reconstruction and development after a 15-year long war.
Led ZANU delegation to the London Lancaster House Conference which ended the 15-year conflict, paving way for the first democratic general elections of March 1980 that led to Independence and majority rule on 18th April, 1980.
Led ZANU delegation to the abortive independence talks at Geneva (1978) and Malta (1976).
Elected President of ZANU in 1977 during the party’s Congress-in-exile at Chimoio, Mozambique.
Escaped from the then Rhodesia into Mozambique in 1975 to re-activate the armed liberation struggle and to lead Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), the armed wing of ZANU. This followed the assassination by a car bomb in Zambia in 1974 of the then ZANU external wing leader, Herbert Chitepo
Imprisoned between August 1964 until December 1974 for his political activities and opposition to colonial rule, thus enduring incarceration for about ten and half years. Used detention and imprisonment time to further his education, acquiring three degrees in the process.
Detained between December 1963 until March 1964.
Founder member and Secretary-General of Zimbabwe African National Union ZANU) in 1963, following a split in the nationalist movement.
Acting Secretary-General and Publicity Secretary of ZAPU until its banning in September 1962. Edited nationalist organ which had been renamed The People’s voice
Co-founder of Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) ten days after the proscription of NDP in December 1961.
Chaired the inaugural Congress of the National Democratic Party (NDP) in October 1960 and was chosen Secretary for Information and Publicity. Edited The Democratic Voice, NDP’s mouthpiece.
Prematurely terminated his four-year teaching contract in Ghana, returning to Southern Rhodesia in May 1960 where he threw his weight behind the nationalist movement His education and political experiences in Ghana ensured him rapid rise and growing role in the movement.
Ghana’s independence in 1957 inspired and lured him. Left Zambia for Ghana in June 1958 where he came in contact with Ghanaian politics under Kwame Nkrumah. Met Sarah Francesca Hayfron whom he later married in 1961.
Admitted to the South African Fort Hare University where he came in contact with the politics of decolonization as expressed by the South African African National Congress (ANC) and other politically conscious students from other countries in the region and beyond. Joined the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress.
(SRANC)