Simon Vengai Muzenda was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987 and as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 2003 under President Robert Mugabe.
12 Facts About Simon Muzenda
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Simon Muzenda was brought up by his grandmother Mbuya Maweni, who ensured his regular attendance for his primary education at Nyamandi Primary School.
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Between completing his carpentry course and furthering his studies, Simon Muzenda became aware of politics during contacts with fellow students, which included several men prominent in black activism South Africa and Rhodesia; after his return to Rhodesia in 1950, he worked in a furniture factory in Bulawayo and became involved with Benjamin Burombo, an activist who was among the earliest to challenge discriminatory laws.
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In 1964, he was arrested again, this time for possession of a pistol after having been elected deputy organising secretary of ZANU; at this time, Simon Muzenda had become convinced that the only way to overthrow white colonial dominance was an armed revolution, and began organising young blacks to receive military training in other African countries, in the Soviet Union and in China.
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Simon Muzenda was imprisoned again and remained in jail until being released under the Anglo-Rhodesia agreement in 1971.
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In 1987, when Mugabe became executive president, Simon Muzenda was appointed as his vice-president.
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In Zimbabwe's early years, Simon Muzenda was generally respected by the people as a no-nonsense, plain-spoken man from the working class, but in later years, he appeared more and more crude.
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Robert Mugabe 8.
In 1990, his campaign for a seat in Zimbabwe's parliament suffered a blow after opposition candidate Patrick Kombayi was shot and left permanently disabled; two state agents were convicted of attempted murder, but pardoned by Mugabe shortly after the trial ended, and even though Simon Muzenda was not publicly accused of being involved in the shooting, it affected his standing with the public.
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Simon Muzenda participated in Mugabe's land redistribution programme, taking over the Chindito farm, south of Harare, in April 2002 and ejecting the white farm owner, Chris Nel; this incident caused a controversy with the Commercial Farmers Union.
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Simon Muzenda died on 20 September 2003; he was 80 years old.
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Simon Muzenda was survived by a wife and six children.
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Simon Muzenda had a State funeral, and he is buried at the National Heroes' Acre.