Edgar Tekere
| Mister Edgar ‘2-Boy’ Tekere (Mukoma) | |
|---|---|
Zimbabwe Unity Movement ZUM Manifesto Launch 1989 | |
| Born | Edgar Tekere April 1, 1937 |
| Died | June 7, 2011 (aged 74) |
| Resting place | National Heroes Acre |
| Residence | Murambi, Mutare |
| Nationality | Zimbabwe |
| Education | St. Augustine’s (KwaTsambe) |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | Revolutionary Trouble Maker |
| Notable work | Life Time of Struggle (Autobiography) |
| Home town | Manicaland |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Ruvimbo (Mujeni) Tekere |
| Children | Farai Zachariah, Maidei Pamela |
Edgar Zivanai '2-Boy' Tekere was an early nationalist politician who played a crucial role in the liberation struggle. [1] Tekere was elected to the House of Assembly in 1980. He was a cabinet minister under Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu PF), and was thier Secretary General, and formed his own party, the Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM).
Personal Details
Born: 1 April 1937. Rusape. [2]
Spent much of his childhood in the Penhalonga area.
Marriage: To Ann Mujeni. They have two children, Farai Zachariah, and Maidei Pamela.
Death: Edgar Tekere died on 7 June 2011. After his death, he was declared a national hero and was buried at the National Heroes Acres. [3]
School / Education
He attended St Augustine's Penhalonga school for his secondary education ,where he earned himself thee name '2boy' from his schoolmates due to his somewhat unruly character. [4]
Service / Career
His political career gathered momentum in the early 1960s when he joined ZAPU under the leadership of Joshua Nkomo. However, in 1962, Nkomo engaged in an initiative to get rid of his internal opponents resulted in him expelling Tekere together with Robert Mugabe, Enos Nkala and Ndabaningi Sithole.[4] On 8 August, 1963, Tekere helped found the Zimbabwe African National Union, or Zanu, in Rhodesia. The following year, the party was banned, and Tekere and Robert Mugabe, then the party’s secretary general, were jailed. He spent ten years at Wha Wha prison. [4] After their release in 1975, they crossed into Mozambique, with the help of Fr. Emmanuel Ribeiro and Moven Mahachi which had become a base for a guerrilla warriors. [5] Soon after independence, Tekere was appointed a cabinet minister. At the Independence celebrations in 1980, he personally invited the popular reggae icon Bob Marley to perform at Rufaro Stadium. [6]
The Zimbabwe 1985 Parliamentary Election returned to parliament:
Mutare Urban:
- Edgar Ziwinayi Tekere Zanu PF - 30 076 votes.
- Kagoro Felix Kadzombe UANC - 3 694 votes.
- Ford Magada PF-ZAPU - 1 178 votes.
- David Mungunyana ZANU - 1 150 votes.
Events
In the early 1980s, Tekere was involved in a murder case in which he, together with his seven body guards were accused of killing a white farmer. In the early 1990s Tekere fell out of Mugabe's favour when he began to oppose the newly adopted one party state ideology. [7] He was expelled from Zanu PF and formed his Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM) party. In 1995, he successfully contested the elections against Zanu PF and effectively averted the birth of a one party state in Zimbabwe. His defeat in the elections of 1995 ushered in his political demise which saw his departure from public life. [7]
Tekere wrote a book titled "A Lifetime of Struggle" which was published in 2007. The book is an autobiography in which he portrays himself as a prototype nationalist who fought for nothing but the good of the people. [8] He dedicated a large portion of his book articulating his political differences with Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF.[8]
From around 2007, Tekere began to sympathise with opposition movements such as the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai which opposed his former party Zanu PF. In 2009, he was a guest at the MDC's 10th Anniversary in Harare. [9]
He also attended the Launch of Simba Makoni's Mavambo Party.
4.8 km Jelf Road Mutare
Jelf road a 4.8 km road in Mutare would be renamed after 2-Boy by Mnangagwa’s Cabinet.
Warned Mugabe about Mnangagwa
During the armed struggle 2-Boy considered Emmerson Mnangagwa a Mufana and prophesied to Robert Mugabe that Mnangagwa wanted his place, and if he didn’t kick him out he was going to throw him away. Mugabe laughed it off and took 2-Boy's words lightly as those by a man of the bottle, as 2-Boy was known to love his small Bols Bottle of Brandy he loved to carry in his jacket and take a swig or two.
References
- ↑ , Obituary: the real Edgar Tekere, NewZimbabwe, Published:7 Jun 2011 Retrieved:1 Jul 2014
- ↑ [Diana Mitchell, African Nationalist Leaders in Zimbabwe: Who’s Who 1980], "African Nationalist Leaders in Zimbabwe: Who’s Who 1980, (Cannon Press, Salisbury, 1980), Retrieved: 16 November 2020
- ↑ , Breaking News: Nationalist Edgar Tekere declared national hero, "NewsDay", published:9 Jun 2011,retrieved:2 Jul 2014"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 T. Grundy, Obituary: Edgar Tekere 1937-2011, The Zimbabwean, Published:17 Jun 2011, Retrieved:1 Jul 2014"
- ↑ C.W Dugger, Edgar Tekere, Leader in Fight for Zimbabwe Independence, Dies at 74, New York Times, Published:9 Jun 2011,Retrieved:1 Jul 2014"
- ↑ S. Nyaira, Zimbabwe Liberation Hero Edgar Tekere Dies After Long Battle With Cancer, Voice of America, Published:7 Jun 2011, Retrieved:1 July 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 , Why Mugabe ‘hated’ Tekere, "Newsday", published:15 Jun 2011, Retrieved:1 Jul 2014"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 , Books by Edgar Zivanai Tekere, "Amazon", retrieved:1 Jul 2014"
- ↑ R. Ndhlovu, 'Hero' Edgar Tekere haunts Zanu-PF, "Mail and Guardian", published:10 Jun 2011,retrieved:2 Jul 2014"
