Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe was a prominent Zambian politician, anti-colonialist, and author, born on April 12,1922.
21 Facts About Simon Kapwepwe
1.
2.
Simon Kapwepwe was born on 12 April 1922 in the Chinsali district of the Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia.
3.
Simon Kapwepwe did his Standard 3 and 4 at Mwenzo, another mission of Livingstonia.
4.
Simon Kapwepwe was a member of the national executive and became secretary of the Kitwe Branch.
5.
Simon Kapwepwe stayed in Bombay from 1950 to 1954, after studying Hindi in Nairobi.
6.
Simon Kapwepwe was given the post of Minister of Home Affairs.
7.
Simon Kapwepwe stood against Reuben Kamanga and won the position of deputy leader of UNIP.
8.
Simon Kapwepwe used his new position to put forward economic policies that differed from those of Kaunda's, but his views were sidelined.
9.
Simon Kapwepwe campaigned for the preservation of Zambian culture through the teaching of indigenous languages in schools.
10.
Simon Kapwepwe was Minister of Finance from 1968 to 1969.
11.
Simon Kapwepwe was allowed to keep the posts of Minister of Culture and Minister of Local Government.
12.
Simon Kapwepwe did not own up until Kaunda dismissed four cabinet ministers on suspicion of being clandestine members of the new party.
13.
Simon Kapwepwe was harassed even after he had been politically emasculated.
14.
Simon Kapwepwe was arrested in February 1973 for illegal possession of two guns.
15.
The UNIP-controlled Zambian media reported that Simon Kapwepwe had sent people for military training outside Zambia.
16.
Simon Kapwepwe sued the Zambia Broadcasting Services, the Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail for libel and won when he proved that they had made false reports.
17.
Simon Kapwepwe turned his back on politics and went to live on his farm in Chinsali.
18.
Simon Kapwepwe was disqualified by last-minute changes to UNIP's constitution.
19.
Simon Kapwepwe retired for good from politics and returned to Chinsali.
20.
Simon Kapwepwe died on 26 January 1980, after suffering from a stroke two days earlier.
21.
Simon Kapwepwe authored a number of books mostly in the Bemba language of Zambia.