Here in this post, we discussed the National Assembly of Zimbabwe, the history of the Assembly and also explain the current assembly.
The National Assembly is the lower house, and consists of 270 members. Of these, 210 are elected from single-member constituencies. The remaining 60 seats are reserved for women, and are elected by proportional representation from ten six-member constituencies corresponding to the country’s provinces.
HISTORY
Under the 1980 Constitution, 20 of the 100 seats in the House of Assembly were reserved for the country’s white minority, although whites and other ethnic minorities made up only 5% of the population at the time. These seats were abolished by constitutional amendment in 1987.
This size of 100 seats was used for two elections, the 1980 election held immediately before independence and the 1985 election. The 1990 election was the first election after the abolition of the white-reserved seats, and also expanded the House of Assembly to 120 seats, a size which was retained for the 1995 and 2000 elections.
With the 2005 election, the House of Assembly was expanded to 150 members. 120 members were directly elected in single member constituencies using the plurality (or first-past-the-post) system. The President appointed twelve additional members and eight provincial governors who held reserved seats in the House. The remaining ten seats were held by traditional chiefs who were chosen by their peers. All members served five-year terms.
Following the 2008 election, the House of Assembly was expanded to 210 seats and composed entirely of elected representatives. The appointed and ex officio members were transferred to the Senate. The Seventh House of Assembly was opened on August 26, 2008. The additional system of 60 seats reserved for women was established for the 2013 election.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
The National Assembly of Zimbabwe, previously the House of Assembly until 2013, is the lower house of the Parliament of Zimbabwe. It was established upon Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980 as one of two chambers of parliament. Between the abolition of the Senate in 1989 and its reestablishment in 2005, the House of Assembly was the sole chamber of parliament.
Since the 2013 election, the National Assembly has had 270 members. Of these, 210 are elected in single-member constituencies. The last 60 seats are reserved for women, and are elected by proportional representation in 10 six-seat constituencies based on the country’s provinces. On election day, each voter casts a single ballot, and this is used to assign seats to the parties for both types of seat.
Jacob Mudenda has been Speaker of the National Assembly since September 2013.
This post discusses the past presidents of Zimbabwe, it also gives a brief history of the head of states, rank and election of the presidents.
The president of Zimbabwe is the head of state of Zimbabwe and head of the executive branch of the government of Zimbabwe. The president chairs the national cabinet and is the chief commanding authority of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces.
BRIEF HISTORY
From 1965 to 1970 the head of state under the UDI was the Monarch in person of Elizabeth II, who simultaneously reigned as the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
Ian Smith’s government continued to affirm allegiance to Elizabeth II as Queen of Rhodesia from the UDI until 1970, but this was not acknowledged by the international community.
The ‘Monarch’ was represented in Rhodesia by the Officer Administrating of the Government, because Smith and his cabinet ignored Sir Humphrey Gibbs the Governor of Southern Rhodesia.
Rhodesia became a republic under the Constitution of 1969, adopted following the 1969 constitutional referendum, and the ‘Monarch’ and Officer Administrating of the Government were replaced by a ceremonial President of Rhodesia.
The incumbent president is Emmerson Mnangagwa, installed on 24 November 2017 after his predecessor, Robert Mugabe resigned in the aftermath of a 2017 coup d’état.
PRESIDENTS OF ZIMBABWE (1980–PRESENT)
No.
President
Took office
Left office
Time in office
Party
Election
1
Canaan Banana (1936–2003)
18 April 1980
31 December 1987
7 years, 257 days
ZANU
–
2
Robert Mugabe (1924–2019)
31 December 1987
21 November 2017
29 years, 325 days
ZANU–PF
1990 1996 2002 2008 2013
–
Phelekezela Mphoko (born 1940) Acting
21 November 2017
24 November 2017
3 days
ZANU–PF
–
3
Emmerson Mnangagwa (born 1942)
24 November 2017
Incumbent
5 years, 216 days
ZANU–PF
2018
Phelekezela Mphoko was the second (and only sitting) vice-president at the time of Mugabe’s resignation on 21 November 2017. Mphoko may have been acting president of Zimbabwe for three days until Mnangagwa’s accession to the presidency. However, as Mphoko was not in the country at the time, and due to the unusual circumstances, any official standing on this is unclear and may never be known.
RANK BY TIME IN OFFICE
Rank
President
Time in office
1
Robert Mugabe
29 years, 325 days
2
Canaan Banana
7 years, 257 days
3
Emmerson Mnangagwa
5 years, 216 days
LATEST ELECTION
Emmerson Mnangagwa ran for election in 2023 as the ZANU–PF candidate. Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the main opposition party MDC-T, had died earlier in the year and been replaced by Nelson Chamisa. Chamisa ran as the MDC Alliance candidate against Emmerson Mnangagwa. Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected without the need for a runoff, winning 50.8% of the vote to Chamisa’s 44.3%. The election result was disputed by the MDC Alliance.
This post discusses the cultural heritage in Zimbabwe and further discusses the heritage sites that can be found in Zimbabwe.
CULTURAL HERITAGE IN ZIMBABWE
ROCK ART & ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE
Zimbabwe is home to 15,000 rock art and engraving sites, of which many are unique to the country with few examples found in the rest of Southern Africa. Although carbon dating has not been performed on the rock art found on the Malilangwe Reserve it is known that sandstone rock art has a lifespan of approximately 6,000 years. With this known fact, it is believed that the rock art on Malilangwe would be 700 to 2,000 years old. We have discovered 121 individual rock art sites on the Reserve.
The rock paintings of Malilangwe are largely monochrome red, primarily due to the availability of red pigments in the area. The paint was made by grinding red oxide into a powder and mixing it with a binding agent such as blood or egg white. The motifs were then painted onto the rocks using brushes made from animal hair, sticks, or feathers.
There are three types of rock art on Malilangwe: Iron age art, herder art, and San rock art. Experts believe that the images portrayed in much of the San rock art are symbolic rather than being a literal record of events. At Malilangwe as many characteristics are either rare or have not previously been recorded have been discovered. The Trust continues to focus on recording and understanding these priceless archaeological treasures, which so fittingly provide an account of the ancient cultural heritage of the area.
KAMBAKO LIVING MUSEUM OF BUSHCRAFT
At the Kambako Living Museum of Bushcraft, the aim is to “preserve the past to enrich the future.” The museum showcases the bushcraft skills that have enabled the local Shangaan people to sustain themselves in their natural environment for centuries. A tour of the museum takes visitors on a historic journey through time. Visitors will learn more about the Shangaan people’s intimate knowledge of their natural resources and in-depth understanding of animal behavior, which made it possible for them to survive as hunter-gatherers until the recent past. A fascinating hands-on presentation shows how they made a fire, gathered caloric staples, weaved baskets to carry food, and trapped and hunted animals. The transition during the Iron Age to their current agro-pastoral lifestyle is also discussed. The methods used by the Shangaan are compared with other cultures around the world, and the link between primitive skills and modern technological development is discussed. The adaptability and ingenuity of the human spirit are emphasized throughout the tour, and the pros and cons of the Shangaan way of life are discussed in relation to modern first-world existence.
To the Trust, the museum is an invaluable record of traditional culture in the area. It serves not only as an attraction to visitors to Malilangwe but also as an important part of the curriculum of Malilangwe’s conservation education programs.
HERITAGE SITES OF ZIMBABWE
Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe include 3 cultural and 2 natural sites. A Heritage Site is a natural or cultural site that the world community regards as having immense universal value.
Zimbabwe Has Five Heritage Sites:
Mana Pools (Natural)
Khami Ruins National Monument (Cultural)
Great Zimbabwe Ruins (Cultural)
Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (Natural)
Matobo Hills (Cultural)
MANA POOLS – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 1984
Mana Pools, one of the Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe, is a wildlife conservation area and consists of three different areas: Mana Pools National Park and the Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas. Situated in the Zambezi valley, this is a remote and spectacular area with magnificent views of the Zambezi River and mountains of the Rift Valley over in Zambia.
Mana means “four” in Shona which are the Main, Chine, Long and Chisambuk pools. Mana Pools is among the least developed National Parks in Zimbabwe but is renowned for its game-viewing. Large concentrations of buffalo and elephant are found along the river’s edges, while predators such as lions, wild dogs, leopards, hyenas and cheetah are often sighted. Greater kudu, Burchell’s zebra, impala, warthog and common waterbuck can be seen on the plains. Mana Pools offers fantastic birding with over 300 species recorded.
GREAT ZIMBABWE – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 1986
The Great Zimbabwe ruins with its massive curving walls, constructed from millions of granite blocks fitted together without mortar, hosts the largest stone structures south of the pyramids.
Great Zimbabwe, which means “houses of stone”, is an ancient city situated 30 kilometers from Masvingo, Zimbabwe. Awe inspiring, majestic and timeless, these structures were built by indigenous African people between AD 1250 and AD 1450. At the height of its power, Great Zimbabwe had over 18,000 inhabitants. Great Zimbabwe was a main trading center and associated with gold trading. Fragments of Persian and Chinese pottery have also been found at this ancient site.
MOSI-OA-TUNYA / VICTORIA FALLS – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 1989
Victoria Falls is one of the natural Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe and one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. The Victoria Falls are 1708m wide and drop 99m at its highest point, making it the largest sheet of falling water in the world when the Zambezi River is at its fullest. Twice the height of Niagara Falls and one and a half times wider, the Victoria Falls are divided into five separate waterfalls: Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls and Eastern Cataract.
Victoria Falls (also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders”) seen by David Livingstone, the first European to see the falls, named it in honor of Queen Victoria. He was so impressed by what he saw that he described the falls saying “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”
Peak floodwaters usually occur during April when approximately 625 million liters per minute cascade over the edge per minute. The resulting spray rises up to 1650 feet into the air that can be seen more than 20 km away. During this time there is so much water flowing that the spray makes it quite difficult to see the falls.
KHAMI RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 1986
The Khami Ruins are the second most important archaeological site in Zimbabwe after the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. Khami developed and grew between 1450 and 1650 after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been abandoned.
Both ruins belonged to the same cultural tradition and have the same layout in sectors, between the chief’s residence and an open area with huts for the majority of the population. Imported goods like Ming porcelain and Spanish silverware were found, which shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time.
The Khami Ruins, one of the Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe, are a national monument and are an impressive but unknown attraction in Zimbabwe.
MATOBO HILLS – DATE OF INSCRIPTION 2003
The Matobo Hills, another of the Heritage Sites in Zimbabwe, are home to an outstanding collection of rock paintings, the largest in southern Africa. The large boulders provide abundant natural shelters and have been associated with human occupation from the early Stone Age.
The Matobo Hills and caves of the area are renowned for the 20,000 cave paintings and petroglyphs that can be found there, which date from as far back as 13,000 years ago. The unusual hill formations that dot the landscape are called “Bald Heads” by the local people.
This post discusses the political History of Zimbabwe from the pre colonial history, British rule, politics and the coup in Zimbabwe.
The name Zimbabwe is derived from the Shona, dzimba dzemabwe, meaning houses of stone or stone buildings, today symbolized by the Great Zimbabwe Ruins near the present day town of Masvingo. Zimbawe has a rich history, not only of achievement, innovation, co-operation and economic prosperity, but also of conflict, trials and tribulations that reflects the dynamism of its peoples. Many scholars, past and present, have enhanced our knowledge of the Zimbabwean past through their works. Particularly important in our understanding of the pre-colonial past have been the works of archaeologists, linguists, historians, oral traditions and records of 16th century Portuguese traders that interacted with central and southern Africa during that time.
Pre-colonial Zimbabwe was a multi-ethnic society inhabited by the Shangni/Tsonga in the south-eastern parts of the Zimbabwe plateau, the Venda in the south, the Tonga in the north, the Kalanga and Ndebele in the south-west, the Karanga in the southern parts of the plateau, the Zezuru and Korekore in the northern and central parts, and finally, the Manyika and Ndau in the east. Scholars have tended to lump these various groups into two huge ethnic blocs, namely ‘Ndebele’ and ‘Shona’ largely because of their broadly similar languages, beliefs and institutions. (The term Shona itself is however, an anachronism, it did not exist until the 19th century when it was coined by enemies as an insult; it conflates linguistic, cultural and political attributes of ethnically related people). The political, social, and economic, relations of these groups were complex, dynamic, fluid and always changing. They were characterized by both conflict and co-operation.
political history of Zimbabwe
POLITICAL HISTORY OF ZIMBABWE
The modern political history of Zimbabwe starts with the arrival of white people to what was dubbed Southern Rhodesia in the 1890s. The country was initially run by an administrator appointed by the British South Africa Company. The prime ministerial role was first created in October 1923, when the country achieved responsible government, with Sir Charles Coghlan as its first Premier. The third Premier, George Mitchell, renamed the post Prime Minister in 1933.
The Rhodesian Prime Minister acted as Head of His or Her Majesty’s Rhodesian Government, under the largely symbolic supervision of a British Colonial Governor, until Rhodesia issued its unrecognized Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11 November 1965. British-appointed figures such as the Governor were thereafter ignored by Salisbury. The unrecognized state’s system of government, however, remained otherwise unchanged, right down to its declared loyalty to Elizabeth II, which Britain did not acknowledge. This situation remained until March 1970, when Rhodesia adopted a republican system of government. In republican Rhodesia, the Prime Minister instead nominally reported to the President.
The Prime Minister was responsible for nominating the other members of the government, chairing meetings of the Rhodesian Cabinet, and deciding when to call a new general election for the House of Assembly.
1890–1923: BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY RULE
Having secured the Rudd Concession on mining rights from King Lobengula of Matabeleland on 30 October 1888, Cecil Rhodes and his British South Africa Company were granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria in October 1889. Under this charter, the company was empowered to trade with indigenous rulers, form banks, own and manage land, and raise and run a police force. In return for these rights, the British South Africa Company would administer and develop any territory it acquired, while respecting laws enacted by extant African rulers, and upholding free trade within its borders.
COMPANY ADMINISTRATORS
The head of the southern territories’ government during this time was in effect the company’s regional administrator. The first of these was appointed in 1890, soon after the Pioneer Column’s establishment of Fort Salisbury, the capital, on 12 September that year. From 1899, the administrator governed as part of a ten-man Legislative Council, originally made up of himself, five other members nominated by the company, and four elected by registered voters.
FRONTIER POLITICS: TOWARDS RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT
Southern Rhodesians of all races fought for Britain in the First World War, during which the Responsible Government Association (RGA) was formed in 1917. By 1919, Sir Charles Coghlan, a South African-born Bulawayo lawyer, had become the RGA’s leader. The RGA sought self-government for Southern Rhodesia within the British Empire—the same “responsible government” previously granted to Britain’s colonies in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa as a precursor to full dominion status—and opposed Southern Rhodesia’s proposed integration into the recently formed Union of South Africa. The accession of territories governed by the British South Africa Company was explicitly provisioned for by Section 150 of the South Africa Act 1909, the British Act of Parliament which created the union in 1910 by consolidating the Empire’s Cape, Natal, Orange River and Transvaal Colonies into a unitary dominion. The Company originally stood against Southern Rhodesia’s addition, fearing the territory’s potential domination by Afrikaners, but changed its tune dramatically when, in 1918, the Privy Council in London ruled that unalienated land in the Rhodesias was owned not by the company but by the Crown.
1923–1965: COLONIAL PRIME MINISTERS
The RGA reorganized itself to become the governing Rhodesia Party, with Coghlan as Southern Rhodesia’s first Premier. The title was changed to Prime Minister in 1933 by George Mitchell, the third man to hold the office. In 1932, the Southern Rhodesian leader was first invited to an Imperial Conference. Although Southern Rhodesia was not a dominion, it was seen elsewhere in the Empire as a sui generis case among Britain’s colonies, and worthy of inclusion, particularly as it was the only one which governed itself. Southern Rhodesian Prime Ministers thereafter became a regular fixture at such meetings and, from 1944, at Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conferences.
AS A TERRITORY IN THE FEDERATION OF RHODESIA AND NYASALAND (1953–63)
A month after Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland formed the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in August 1953, Huggins became the amalgamated body’s first Prime Minister. Salisbury was designated the Federal capital, and the United Party renamed itself the United Rhodesia Party. Garfield Todd took over as Southern Rhodesia’s Prime Minister. Huggins headed the Federal government for three years, then retired in November 1956 after a combined 23 years as a national leader.
FROM FEDERATION TO UDI (1964–65)
After the Federation broke up on 31 December 1963, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland became independent during 1964, respectively renamed Zambia and Malawi, and under black majority governments. Southern Rhodesia was denied the same under the ideal of “no independence before majority rule” that was newly ascendant in Britain and elsewhere. The RF was enraged by what it saw as British duplicity; according to Field and Smith, Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State R. A. Butler had verbally promised “independence no later than, if not before, the other two territories” at a meeting in 1963, in return for Salisbury’s help in winding up the Federation. Butler denied having said this.
1965–80: UDI ERA
Unrecognized state (1965–79)
The Rhodesians modelled their independence document on that of the American Thirteen Colonies in 1776, which remains the only other such proclamation in the history of the British Empire. According to UDI—which went unrecognized by Britain, the Commonwealth and the United Nations, all of which declared it illegal and imposed economic sanctions—the Rhodesian government still professed loyalty to Elizabeth II, whom it called the “Queen of Rhodesia”. The British-appointed Governor, Sir Humphrey Gibbs, remained at his post in Government House, Salisbury, but was now ignored by the local government, which appointed its own “Officer Administrating the Government” to fill his ceremonial role. Smith represented Rhodesia in two abortive rounds of talks with Wilson, first aboard HMS Tiger in 1966, then on HMS Fearless two years later. Under Rhodesia’s 1965 constitution, the Prime Minister remained at the head of Her Majesty’s Rhodesian Government until 2 March 1970, when a republican constitution was adopted in line with the results of a referendum held the previous June. In the Republic of Rhodesia, the Prime Minister formally reported to the President.
SINCE 1980: ZIMBABWE
Prime Minister and ceremonial President (1980–Present)
Seven years into Mugabe’s premiership, Zimbabwe scrapped the white seats amid sweeping constitutional reforms in September 1987. The office of Prime Minister was abolished in October; Mugabe became the country’s first executive President two months later. Mugabe and the ZAPU leader Joshua Nkomo signed a unity accord at the same time merging ZAPU into ZANU–PF with the stated goal of a Marxist–Leninist one-party state.
The office of the president of Zimbabwe was established in 1980, when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom. Per the Lancaster House Agreement, Zimbabwe was originally a parliamentary republic, with the president serving in mostly a ceremonial role. Real power was vested in the prime minister, Robert Mugabe.
A Methodist minister, Canaan Banana, became the first president, serving until 1987. He resigned in 1987 shortly after the Constitution was amended to make the presidency an executive post, and the office of Prime Minister was abolished. Mugabe was appointed to succeed him, and was elected in his own right in 1990 and four more times thereafter.
The office of Prime Minister was restored as a result of the 2008–09 political negotiations, but abolished again following the 2013 constitutional referendum. Under the rules adopted by the same referendum, the president serves a maximum of two five-year terms. This did not have a retroactive effect on past terms of office already served or currently being served as of 2013. As of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The term limit has not been met by any president yet.
2017 COUP D’ÉTAT AND MUGABE’S RESIGNATION
On 14 November 2017, armed military personnel from the Zimbabwe Defense Forces invaded the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation studios in Harare before Major General Sibusiso Moyo came out on a live television broadcast declaring that the army had activated an operation that would later be known as “Operation Restore Legacy.” Moyo stated that President Mugabe and his family would be safe and their security would be guaranteed, as the operation was only targeting criminals around him. What followed thereafter was a well-planned and carefully executed crackdown on members of a faction within the ruling ZANU-PF party known as G40. The Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Central Intelligence Organization, both deemed loyal to the president, were neutralized by the army, which arrested some of their top leaders.
On 21 November 2017, facing all-but certain impeachment from a combined session of the House of Assembly and Senate, Mugabe resigned as president. Former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as his replacement on 24 November 2017.
