Chenhamo Chimutengwende

Service / Career

He joined politics in 1957 in Highfield, Harare at the age of 14. He was secretary for information and publicity in the Zanu-PF Youth League in 1963. He did his military training in Ghana in 1964. After independence he became the Zanu PF provincial chairperson in 1986 for Mashonaland Central, a position he held for 17 years.

In the Zimbabwe 1985 Parliamentary Election, Mazowe returned to Parliament:

• Chenhamo Chakezha Chimutengwende of Zanu PF - 46 556 votes.
• Henry Mhandu of UANC - 449 votes.
• Jacob Machingauta Mhandu of PF-ZAPU - 380 votes.
• Baldwin Murape Muchenje of ZANU - 101 votes.

In the 1990 Parliamentary Election (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Chiweshe returned to Parliament:

• Chenhamo Chimutengwende of Zanu PF, Unopposed.

He held several positions in Government for 14 years and was a member of parliament for 23 years until 2008. He is a former member of Zanu PF's Central Committee and deputy secretary for information and publicity in the Zanu PF politburo. ^[2]

He served as the Minister of the following Ministries: Information, Posts and Telecommunications; Environment and Tourism; and, Public and Interactive Affairs in the Office of the President and Cabinet.

In 1972 he launched his own monthly newspaper in London which was called The Liberation Struggle. It covered news and theoretical issues about liberation struggles in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He was the Editor of this newspaper until 1974 when he left for full-time post-graduate studies at the University of Bradford. ^[3]

Events

Farm Mechanisation Scheme

In July 2020, Chen Chimutengwende was listed, in the BSR of 18 July 2020, as a beneficiary in the 2007 RBZ Farm Mechanisation Scheme, as a result of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme.

The data is analysed by recipients origin:.

• Mashonaland provinces had the most beneficiaries, both in terms of numbers and value.
  

Mashonaland East got US$47,5 million,
Mashonaland West US$44,7 million
Mashonaland Central had US$34,2 million.

• Two Matebeleland provinces had a combined total of US$13,9 million.
• Masvingo US$26,4 million,
• Manicaland US$18 million
• Midlands US$14 million.

Chen Chimutengwende is listed under the thematic group “Politicians”. According to the list, he got a loan of US$98,780.00. ^[4]

Other Positions Held

He was elected at a UN Ministerial Conference in Geneva 1996 as President of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for a two-year term. In 1997 he was also elected for a two year term at the UN Headquarters in New York as Chairman of the United Nations High Level Environment Committee of Ministers and Senior officials; this was when he was Minister for Environment and Tourism.

He was awarded the “Medal of the Order of the City of Havana” in 1995 by the State Council for Cuba (Cabinet) as a result of his consistent support of the Cuban Revolution. He then became Chairman of the Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association.

Chimutengwende is a former lecturer in Journalism and Mass Communications and Head of the school of Journalism at the University of Nairobi where he served from 1980 to 1982. He served as Deputy Director and Senior lecturer of the journalism programme at the International Press Institute at City University, London in 1979.

He was Chairman of the Kwame Nkrumah Institute of Writers in London from 1971 to 1978. He started practicing Journalism in London from 1968 in London and is extensively published.

Also:

• Founder President and the Editor of website: Afrika Global Network (AGN) since August 2008. AGN is an international and independent network of revolutionary Pan-Afrikanist organizations, institutions, groups and individual activists working both separately and collectively, and both locally and internationally for “The Future of Afrika and the Black World”.

• Founder Chairman: Zimbabwe Foundation for Sustainable Development (ZFSD) since September 2009. He wrote a book under the auspices of AGN. The book was on “World Capitalism, Global Revolutionary Ecosocialism and Revolutionary Pan-Afrikanism” and was supposed be completed in 2011.

• Member of the Board of Directors of Worldtel Ltd from 2002 to 2008. It is a London based private company which was sponsored by the Worldtel Assembly of Governors in Geneva. Elected in 2002 and served up to 2008 as Chairman: Worldtel Assembly of Governors (Geneva based). It is an organization which was initiated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

• Elected as Vice Chairman in September 1999, in Tunis at a conference of 43 African Ministers and Heads of Delegation of the Assembly of Parties of RASCOM (Regional African Satellite Communications Organisation) for two years.

• Elected as Chairman of the United Nations High Level Environmental Committee of Ministers and Senior Officials in 1997 for two years. This was in New York at a UN conference with 104 Ministers of Environment and Heads of Delegation.

• Elected as President of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1996 for two years. This was in Geneva at a UN conference with 182 Ministers of Environment and Heads of Delegation.

• Appointed in 1984 as Director of Personnel and Public Relations in the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) until 1985 when he became a Member of Parliament.

• Appointed part-time lecturer for the M.A. Programme on “Social Development and Political Change” at the University of Zimbabwe, 1984 to 1985.

• Appointed Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Mass Communications at the Zimbabwe Institute of Mass Communications (ZIMCO). This was initially under the: Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunications and later it became part of the Harare Polytechnic, 1982 to 1984.

• Appointed in 1983 as member of the University of Zimbabwe Committee to advice on the setting up of the Postgraduate Programme for Media Studies in the University in 1983.

• Appointed Correspondent for Eastern and Southern Africa of the International Social Science Journal of UNESCO, Paris, from 1980 to 2003.

• Appointed Chief Correspondent of Inter-Press Service (which is Rome based) for Eastern and Southern Africa in 1980 until 1983.

• Appointed Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Mass Communications in the School of Journalism of the University of Nairobi and later became the Head of the same School. This was from 1980 to 1982. He was also member of the University Senate.

• Invited by the Chinese Government to visit China for four weeks in 1979 as one of the twelve members of the British Distinguished Persons Delegation. The idea was that on their return from the study tour of China, the members would improve on their writings and public lectures internationally on Chinese affairs. The members were writers and academics.

• Appointed in 1979 and served until 1980 as UNESCO Consultant on Mass Communications, with special reference to broadcasting training needs covering nine countries of Eastern and Southern Africa. The position was based in Nairobi.

• Appointed Deputy Director of the Journalism Programme and Senior Lecturer in Mass Communications and International Affairs, International Press Institute, City University, London, 1978 to 1979.

• Appointed as Rapporteur in 1977 for the “Proceedings of the Working Group of International Experts on Black Civilisation and Mass Media of the FESTAC Colloquium whose report was published in the book:“Colloquium Proceedings , Volume 1, FESTAC, Colloquium on Black Civilisation and Education”, Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos, 1977” ). He served both as a Rapporteur and author of the report for this Working Group of International Experts.

• Founder President of the Kwame Nkrumah Institute of Writers and Journalists, London, 1970 to 1977.

• Appointed in 1970 as a member of the Editorial board of the Black Dwarf which later became the Red Mole edited by Tariq Ali. This was a Marxist fortnightly newspaper published in London.

• Appointed Executive Director: Europe-Third World Research Centre, London in 1969 and served until 1974. The Centre was established and funded by the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) with the assistance of the World Council of Churches both based in Geneva. This was a research and information centre on the economic, political, social and ecclesiastical relationship between Europe and the Third World. The aim of the Centre was to expose and campaign against the iniquitous nature of the relations between the industrialized and the developing countries.^[3]

Further Reading

References