Herbert Wiltshire Pfumaindini Chitepo (15 June 1923 – 18 March 1975) was a Zimbabwean politician and nationalist leader who led the

Zimbabwe African National Union The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was a militant socialist organisation that fought against white-minority rule in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) in 1963. ZANU split in 1975 into wings l ...

(ZANU) until he was assassinated in March 1975. Although his murderer remains unidentified, the

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

n author Peter Stiff says that a former soldier of the British

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...

(SAS), Hugh Hind, was responsible.Mugabe still fears Chitepo's legacy
Institute for War and Peace Reporting Chitepo was the first black citizen of Rhodesia to become a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

.Preston, Matthew. ''Ending Civil War: Rhodesia and Lebanon in Perspective'', 2004. Page 98.

Early years

Chitepo was born in Watsomba village in the Mutasa District 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 ...

, now

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 ...

on 15 June 1923. His family came from the Manyika clan (Samanyika) of the

Shona people The Shona people () also/formerly known as the Karanga are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, primarily living in Zimbabwe where they form the majority of the population, as well as Mozambique, South Africa, and world ...

. He was educated at St David's Mission School, Bonda, St Augustine's School, Penhalonga and then at Adams College, Natal, South Africa, where he qualified as a teacher in 1945. This was where he met Victoria Mahamba-Sithole, a South African whom he married in 1955.Luise White, 'Chitepo, Herbert Wiltshire Tfumaindini (1923–1975)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, May 200
accessed 7 Aug 2013
/ref>

Early career

After teaching for a year, he resumed his studies to graduate with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from Fort Hare University College in 1949. He qualified as a barrister-at-law, and was called to the bar by

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

. He was a research assistant at the

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

. He was the first African in Southern Rhodesia to qualify as a barrister. In 1954, Chitepo became Rhodesia's second black lawyer after Prince Nguboyenja Khumalo son of King Lobengula (a special law was required to allow him to occupy chambers with white colleagues). On returning to Rhodesia in 1954, he practised as a lawyer and defended African nationalists such as Ndabaningi Sithole in court. In February 1960, he travelled to the US with support from the African-American Institute. In 1961, he served as legal adviser to

Joshua Nkomo Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (19 June 1917 – 1 July 1999) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1990 until his death in 1999. He founded and led the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) ...

, founder of the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU), at the Southern Rhodesia Constitutional Conference in London. In the same year, he was also appointed to the board of governors of Bernard Mizeki College along with Sir. W. C .R. Honey and Sir Robert Tredgold. The Southern Rhodesian government did not detain him, as he did not come out in the open as an official of the nationalist movement, and the regime also feared that he was too internationally well known to be locked up.

ZANU

In May 1962 ZAPU was banned because of

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

and Chitepo was persuaded to go into voluntary exile to escape possible detention. He became Tanganyika's first African director of public prosecutions. The Ndabaningi Sithole and

factions of ZAPU split apart in July 1963. Nkomo's supporters founded the PCC-ZAPU (later just called ZAPU again) and favoured a more militaristic approach. As the more moderate faction, Chitepo sided with Sithole and was elected chairman of ZANU (having defeated

Nathan Shamuyarira Nathan Shamuyarira (29 September 1928 – 4 June 2014) was a Zimbabwean nationalist who at different times fought on behalf of and helped lead FROLIZI, ZANU, and ZAPU. He later served as the Information Minister of ZimbabweKalley, Jacqueline ...

) from its foundation. He held this post until 7 December 1974, when the

Lusaka Accord The Lusaka Accord (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Acordo de Lusaka'') was signed in Lusaka, Zambia, on 7 September 1974, between the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) and the National Salvation Junta, Portuguese government th ...

was signed. Both parties vied for domination but in 1964 both were banned and the leaders were all arrested. Both parties chose to leave the country and reorganise and form armies from outside Rhodesian borders, although they chose different countries to make their base. ZAPU based itself in the West and

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

where it organised ZIPRA (the

Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), a Marxist–Leninist political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhode ...

.) They allied with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and organised a vanguard of highly trained soldiers. ZANU, however, moved into

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

and then to

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

and set up ZANLA (

Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhod ...

) which concentrated more on mobilising the masses in the countryside in a method pioneered by the Chinese. In January 1966 Chitepo resigned as director of Public Prosecutions and moved to

to concentrate on the armed struggle. He toured world capitals canvassing support for ZANU and for the enforcement of total economic sanctions against Rhodesia. With his friendly disposition, he was very effective and earned for ZANU international recognition and respect. Sithole and others prepared a comprehensive document giving powers to Chitepo to lead ZANU while Rev. Sithole was in detention and specifically authorising him to carry out the armed struggle. Accordingly, Herbert Chitepo with the military supremo Josiah Tongogara from the Karanga ethnic community, organised and planned successful military guerilla attacks and underground activities in Rhodesia from 1966 onwards. In 1972, he coordinated war operations with FRELIMO and opened up the northeastern region of Zimbabwe as a new and effective war front.

Death

Chitepo died on 18 March 1975 in

Lusaka Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was abo ...

, Zambia, when a car bomb, placed in his

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003. One of the most iconic cars in automotive history, the Beetle is noted for its distinctive shape. Its pr ...

the night before, exploded. He and Silas Shamiso, one of his bodyguards, were killed instantly. Sadat Kufamadzuba, his other bodyguard, was injured. The explosion sent part of the car onto the roof of his house and uprooted a tree next door. Hours later one of his neighbours died of injuries he sustained in the explosion.White, Luise. ''The Assassination of Herbert Chitepo: Texts and Politics in Zimbabwe.'' Page 1. ZANU at the time blamed the Rhodesian Security Forces. Zambian president

Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from Northern Rhodesia, British ...

commissioned an inquiry into Chitepo's death. Documents released in October 2001, placed the blame on ZANU infighting between the Karanga and the

Manyika The Manyika people are a Shona sub-group that originated from the Manyika Dynasty. Manyika people speak several dialects which include ChiManyika (Northern Manyika), ChiBocha (Southern Manyika), ChiUngwe, ChiHera, Chijindwi and the Urban dial ...

. However, in his biographical account, ''The Legend of the Selous Scouts'', Lt Col Ronald Reid-Daly, officer commanding, Selous Scouts Regiment, Rhodesian Security Forces, clearly states that the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) under the leadership of Director General Ken Flower, masterminded the assassination of Herbert Chitepo, subsequently planting documentary evidence blaming ZANU members. "The decision by Ken Flower ... to assassinate Herbert Chitepo, head of the ZANU War Council, now showed how badly Flower has misread the ZANU/ZANLA situation. The death of Chitepo purged ZANU of its many dissenting factions and a new and highly successful leader emerged. Robert Mugabe gave ZANLA the means to consolidate its efforts by providing ZANLA with an indispensable factor – unity." g. 173 ''The Legend of The Selous Scouts''

References

External links

Zimbabwesituation.com

The Assassination of Herbert Chitepo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chitepo, Herbert 1923 births Alumni of SOAS University of London Assassinated Rhodesian politicians 20th-century Zimbabwean politicians Rhodesian politicians Deaths by car bomb People from Manicaland Province People murdered in Zambia Rhodesian lawyers Rhodesian people murdered abroad Southern Rhodesian expatriates in the United Kingdom University of Fort Hare alumni Unsolved murders in Africa Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army personnel African politicians assassinated in the 1970s Politicians assassinated in 1975