Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda is the current

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

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 ...

and a member of the

Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front 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, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia ...

(ZANU-PF). A longtime schoolteacher and lawyer, Mudenda joined the Zimbabwe political scene after it gained independence from the British in 1980. Mudenda is well known for his relationship with former Zimbabwe president,

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 ...

, along with the rise and fall of his political career after 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 ...

scandal.

Background

Jacob Francis Mudenda was born in Zimbabwe. Mudenda earned numerous degrees before joining the workforce. Mudenda earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Africa while majoring in English and education. He followed this degree by achieving his Bachelor of Laws honour degree from the University of Zimbabwe. In addition, he went back to school a third time to receive a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the University of Zimbabwe. After gaining his second diploma from the University of Zimbabwe, Mudenda went on to practice law and teach in Zimbabwe until his decision to enter politics.

Early political career

Upon independence in 1980 from British control, Mudenda was selected by the Mugabe government regime as a district administrator. Through connections to Mugabe personally and good results, Mudenda was soon promoted to provincial administrator and provincial governor. In 1984, after continued success in politics, Mudenda was named resident minister for the government when the position was created. The appointment left Mudenda in charge of the

Matabeleland North Province Matabeleland North is a province in western Zimbabwe. With a population of 827,645 as of the 2022 census, it is the country's second-least populous province, after Matabeleland South, and the least densely Zimbabwean populated province. Matabele ...

. The new position, as spokesperson for Matabeleland North, the second most populous province in Zimbabwe, continued Mudenda's rise in Mugabe's circle. While holding this position, Mudenda, Mugabe and Zimbabwe as a nation took significant fire for the incident known as

Gukurahundi The ''Gukurahundi'' was a series of mass killings and genocide in Zimbabwe which were committed from 1983 until the Unity Accord in 1987. The name derives from a Shona language term which loosely translates to "the early rain which washes a ...

. The incident, from early 1983 to late 1987 left over 20,000 individuals dead, and Mudenda is considered to have been Mugabe's line of contact through the period.

Willowgate scandal and aftermath

In the late 1980s, Mudenda, along with other members of the Zimbabwe government, were implicated in a scandal involving the illegal sales of cars. Mudenda, along with the other individuals involved, purchased vehicles from a legal importer in Willowvale at a low rate and would sell the vehicles at a highly inflated price. Mugabe, and many other politicians were involved in the investigation. Mudenda was found to have made more than 100,000 Zimbabwe dollars ($51,000) in the purchase and resale of one vehicle. The scandal ended the political careers of many individuals, including

Maurice Nyagumbo Tapfumaneyi Maurice Nyagumbo (12 December 1924 – 20 April 1989) was a Zimbabwean politician, who spent almost two decades in prison as a consequence of his political activities. Life and career Nyagumbo was born in 1924, in Makoni, near Rusap ...

. Mudenda, however, was able to make his way back into politics after years away from serving as a government official. In his time away from politics, Mudenda spent significant time establishing his law firm. The firm, Mudenda Attorneys Legal Practitioners, still practices in Bulawayo today.

Return to politics

In February, 2013 Mudenda stepped back into the public sphere with his appointment as the chairman of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC). The return to politics did not come without controversy. Some in Zimbabwe felt that Mudenda's appointment did not follow constitutional procedures. Mudenda's appointment lasted only a short period of time, however, as he was elected the Speaker of the House on July 31 of the same year. On September 3, 2013 Mudenda took his position replacing former Speaker, Lovemore Moyo Mudenda has remained in the same position since his appointment in 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mudenda, Jacob 1949 births Living people 20th-century Zimbabwean politicians Speakers of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe ZANU–PF politicians 20th-century Zimbabwean lawyers Zimbabwean educators Provincial governors of Zimbabwe University of South Africa alumni University of Zimbabwe alumni Members of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Members of the 5th Parliament of Zimbabwe Members of the 8th Parliament of Zimbabwe

Background

Early political career

Willowgate scandal and aftermath

Return to politics

See also

References