Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava (born 20 March 1949) is a

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

an politician who was appointed

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology The minister of higher education is the minister in the Cabinet of South Africa with responsibility for higher education in South Africa. The post was created as the minister of higher education and training in May 2009. It was called the minis ...

on 15 October 2024. He was formerly the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade from 2 March 2021 to 15 October 2024. He also serves as a member of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

representing

Midlands Province Midlands is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of and a population of 1,811,905 (2022). It is home to various peoples. Located at a central point in the country, it contains speakers of Shona, Ndebele, Tswana, Sotho and Chewa, as well as ...

, having been sworn in on 17 March 2021. He replaced the late Sibusiso Moyo in both the Senate and as foreign minister. Prior to his

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

appointments, Shava served as Zimbabwe's representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, where he was the President of the UN Economic and Social Affairs Council. Shava also served in

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of th ...

's government as the Minister of Labour, Manpower Planning and Development from 1981 to 1986 and Minister of State for Political Affairs in 1987. While a cabinet minister in the Mugabe government, Shava was convicted for perjury in the

Willowgate Willowgate was a 1988–89 political scandal in Zimbabwe involving the illegal resale of automobile purchases by various government officials, uncovered by '' The Bulawayo Chronicle''. The ensuing investigation resulted in the resignations of five ...

motor scandal, a matter for which he later received a presidential pardon. He also served as Zimbabwe's ambassador to China from 2007 to 2014. He became Council Chairperson of the

Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Goals The SADC's goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and se ...

in August 2024.

Early life and education

Shava was born on 20 March 1949 in Chivi, in what was then the colony of

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

. He attended secondary school at St. Ignatius College in

Chishawasha Chishawasha is the name of a Roman Catholic Jesuit mission located about 25 km east of Harare, Zimbabwe. The mission was founded by the Jesuit priest Father Francis Richartz in 1892 on a large farm. The mission has 3 schools - Chishawasha Pri ...

, and went on to earn a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

from the

University of Zambia The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of ...

or the

University of Zimbabwe The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the Univers ...

. He also holds a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

nematology Nematology is the scientific discipline concerned with the study of nematodes, or roundworms. Although nematological investigation dates back to the days of Aristotle or even earlier, nematology as an independent discipline has its recognizable ...

from

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

and a

Master of Philosophy A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...

and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

, both in

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...

, from

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a member institution of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departmen ...

. Allegations of Unauthorized Borrowing (2024) In October 2024, Frederick Shava was implicated in a legal case concerning the unauthorized borrowing of public funds. A lawsuit filed by former opposition legislator Marvellous Kumalo accused Shava and Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister

July Moyo July Moyo (born 7 May 1950) is a Zimbabwean parliamentarian and member of Zanu-PF. He has been a member of cabinet in both Robert Mugabe and Emmerson Mnangagwa governments. Moyo is currently the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfa ...

of violating the Public Finance Management Act (Treasury Instructions), 2019, and the Constitution. The allegations centered around borrowing funds from government-established programs, including the Sustainable Livelihoods Fund, the Child Welfare Fund, and the Older Persons Fund, without prior Treasury approval. The High Court, presided over by Justice Gladys Mhuri, ruled that Shava and Moyo had acted unlawfully and breached public trust. The court ordered both ministers to reimburse the misappropriated funds within 90 days. Shava was specifically directed to repay amounts borrowed from the Industrial Training and Trade Testing Fund and the Skilled Manpower Trade Testing and Certification Fund.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shava, Frederick 1949 births Living people 20th-century Zimbabwean politicians Alumni of Imperial College London Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London Ambassadors of Zimbabwe to China Foreign ministers of Zimbabwe Members of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Members of the Senate of Zimbabwe People from Masvingo Province ZANU–PF politicians Zimbabwean officials of the United Nations Members of the 9th Parliament of Zimbabwe