26 Facts About Aeneas Chigwedere

Aeneas Chigwedere was installed as Headman Svosve Mubayiwa on 10 March 2008.

Aeneas Chigwedere's father was a teacher and had worked as a foreman at a commercial farm, and his mother was a communal farmer.

Aeneas Chigwedere's grandfather was the Chief of the area representing one of the senior houses of the Svosve dynasty.

Aeneas Chigwedere was schooled at Chigwedere School, Chemhanza Mission, and Waddilove Institute before going to Goromonzi High School.

Accordingly, Aeneas Chigwedere argued that without painstakingly studying the organisation of traditional Shona society and unravelling who Murenga and Nehanda were, or what the Rozvi kingdom was, no meaningful exposition of the war could be made.

Aeneas Chigwedere has written and presented numerous papers, conducted several history programs on national radio and television, and the most recent is being broadcast on Zimbabwe television weekly.

However some of the books Aeneas Chigwedere wrote some schools have banned them as some academics claim that they have distorted history.

Aeneas Chigwedere joined the Ministry of Education as a high school teacher in 1965 and completed his graduate certificate in education in 1975.

Aeneas Chigwedere taught briefly at Fletcher and Highfield, but spent most of his teaching career at Goromonzi High School where he rose to become the first black headmaster and principal from 1977 to 1986.

Aeneas Chigwedere was one of the founding members of the National Association of Secondary School Headmasters, served as the first Regional Chair for all Mashonaland and then National Chair up to 1986, and was elected a life member.

Aeneas Chigwedere served for a long time on the board of the National Museums and Monuments, chaired the board from 1984 to 1988, and in recognition of his service and studies, was awarded a special service certificate and honorary life membership.

From 1987 to 1995, Aeneas Chigwedere served as Deputy and then Regional Director of Education in the Ministry of Education, and retired early to pursue politics.

Aeneas Chigwedere contested and won the Wedza parliamentary seat in 1995 with the fourth largest vote count nationally.

Aeneas Chigwedere was re-elected to parliament in 2000 and 2005, and in 2008 became a non-constituency senator.

Aeneas Chigwedere was appointed Deputy Minister of Education in July 2000, and in August 2001, Chigwedere became the Minister of Education, Sport and Culture, Zimbabwe's largest ministry both in budget allocation and manpower.

Aeneas Chigwedere's mandate has been to redirect education curricula to suit Zimbabwe's current needs, to integrate culture and mainstream education, and restructure sporting organisations into sustainable accountable professional associations.

From 2003 to 2016, Aeneas Chigwedere was placed on the United States sanctions list.

Aeneas Chigwedere has been retained as acting Minister of Education, Sport and Culture.

Aeneas Chigwedere descended from one of the senior houses of the Svosve Chieftainship, which has retained its direct connection to the Mutapas that were the national rulers.

The House of Mubayiwa, which Aeneas Chigwedere represented, was entrusted with ruling and safekeeping of all the territory encompassing the Wedza mountain and what was referred to as 'kumatirikoti'.

Aeneas Chigwedere has appointed a council to rule for the duration that he still has political office.

Aeneas Chigwedere attracted controversy and criticism as minister for once suggesting that all students should wear one uniform, for attempting to rename schools that still bear colonial names, and for pushing an act that empowers him to regulate the fees charged by government and private schools.

Aeneas Chigwedere claimed some of his suggestions have been attempts to dampen the effects of hyperinflation on the education system.

Aeneas Chigwedere once upheld a primary school headmaster's decision to expel a 7-year old Rastafarian boy because he felt that the boy's dreadlocks did not conform to the school dress.

Aeneas Chigwedere had a TV Program Madzinza e Zimbabwe which traced the lineages of the Zimbabwean clans.

Aeneas Chigwedere was criticised by scholars from the department of history at the University of Zimbabwe such as David Beach and Terence Ranger for reportedly flawed theories.