Thenjiwe Lesabe was 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 nationalist who was also a teacher, war veteran and political activist.

Early life and career

Khumalo was born at Hope Fountain near

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; ) is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about ...

on 5 January 1932. She attended White Water Primary and then trained as a teacher at Hope Fountain. She was a teacher at Lotshe Primary school in Mkokoba before resigning in 1949 and joining Bantu Mirror as a journalist.

Political activism

Between 1949 and 1953 she was a political activist in a social club called Gama Sigma Club that focused on social issues for Africans. In 1957 she joined the Southern Rhodesian African National Congress becoming one of the first members of the party. In 1960, she joined the National Democratic Party and was elected chairlady of the Bulawayo District Committee at the first inter-branch committee. As chairlady she combined the two areas of Mzilikazi and Barbourfields and formed a branch called Mziba. After the banning of NDP and subsequent formation of

ZAPU The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It is a militant communist organization and political party that campaigned for majority rule in Rhodesia, from its founding in 1961 until 1980. In 1987, it merged with ...

, Lesabe maintained her position as chairlady of Women's League in the new party until the party was also banned in 1962. Lesabe maintained her activism despite the banning of the party and later became part of the People's Caretaker Council (PCC) in which she was elected to the National Council. PCC (which was a vehicle for ZAPU evading a ban) was itself banned in 1964. Between 1970 and 1974 she went around the country drumming up support for ZAPU. At a Congress of the ANC in 1975 she was elected to the National Executive as head of ZAWU while Josiah Chinamano was elected the vice president and

Joseph Msika Joseph Wilfred Msika (6 December 1923 – 4 August 2009), was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Second Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1999 to 2009.Sydney Kawadza"VP Msika dies", ''The Herald'', 6 August 2009. Early life Msika was born in ...

was made the Secretary General. She later moved to

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 ...

when the liberation battle intensified and was mandated to liaise with the international community and lobby for independence. Lesabe was elected as Member of Parliament for Matobo on a PF-Zapu ticket after independence. In 1984 she was elected head of ZAWU at a ZAPU Congress. After the signing of the

Unity Accord The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It is a militant communist organization and political party that campaigned for majority rule in Rhodesia, from its founding in 1961 until 1980. In 1987, it merged with ...

between ZANU and ZAPU, she was made deputy minister of Tourism and served in the Women's Committee whilst in ZANU PF. In 2009 she left ZANU PF and returned to ZAPU. Lesabe died in 2011 and was denied hero status but was given state funeral. From 2003 until her death she was placed on the

United States sanctions United States government sanctions are financial and trade restrictions imposed against individuals, entities, and jurisdictions whose actions contradict U.S. foreign policy or national security goals. Financial sanctions are primarily administ ...

list.Blocking property of persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lesabe, Thenjiwe WikiGap Harare Zimbabwean revolutionaries Zimbabwean women activists 1932 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Zimbabwean women 20th-century Zimbabwean people Northern Ndebele people ZANU–PF politicians Members of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe African People's Union politicians