Tshinga Dube

Service / Career

He was a leader of Zapu's military wing ZIPRA during Zimbabwe's war for independence.

After independence he joined the Zimbabwe National Army as director of signals before retiring. He also worked in the Ministry of Defence as a deputy secretary and director of research and development before being appointed Managing Director of Zimbabwe Defence Industries. He was a Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) board member for eight years and deputy board chairman of TelOne for seven years. In 2012 he was named the chairperson of Marange Resources. He was once an advisory board member to the secretary-general of the United Nations on Disarmament. ^[1]

In the 2013 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Makokoba returned to Parliament:

• Gorden Moyo of MDC–T with 7 099 votes or 56.75 percent,
• Tshinga Dube of Zanu PF with 3 539 votes or 28.29 percent,
• Thabile Ndlovu of MDC–N with 1 547 votes or 12.37 percent,
• 4 others with 324 votes or 2.59 percent.

Total 12 509 votes

He was elected the member of parliament for Makokoba in June 2015. ^[2] In September 2015 he was sworn in as Minister of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators and Former Political Detainees. ^[3]

Dube is also the fundraising chairman for Zanu PF in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. ^[4]

2023 Nomination Court

ZEC has released results from the 21 June 2023 nomination court for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. ^[5]

Senatorial Party List

Zanu PF	CCC
Molly Mpofu	Hellen Zivira
Tshinga Dube	Gideon Shoko
Esnart Moyo	Siphiwe Ncube
Elfas Mashaba	Felix Magalela Mafa
Annah Moyo	Rita Ndlovu
David Ndlovu	Swithern Chiroodza

Events

Philanthropic Work

In 2008 at the height of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis, he fed the elderly in Mkokoba constituency, nursed them and gave them amenities. Dube has also been Highlanders Football Club benefactor for many years and he bought the club Manwele bar for $18 000 and paid expatriate coach Eddie May for years. He also provided an additional $25, 000 to the $ 20, 000 that the club had set aside to buy a bus.^[2] Some sections of the public accused him using Highlanders to campaign for the Makokoba seat. ^[6]

Treason Allegations

In November 2014 there were reports that Dube, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and Angeline Masuku were plotting against Robert Mugabe.^[7]

DRC

The UN security Council Report Plundering of DR Congo natural resources: Final report of the Panel of Experts (S/2002/1146), in paragraph 29, states - In June 2002, the Panel learned of a secret new ZDF diamond mining operation in Kalobo in Kasai Occidental run by Dube Associates.

This company is linked, according to banking documents, through Colonel Tshinga Dube of Zimbabwe Defence Industries to the Ukrainian diamond and arms dealer Leonid Minim, who currently faces smuggling charges in Italy. The diamond mining operations have been conducted in great secrecy. ^[8]

Great Dyke Investments

Tshinga Dube was involved in the 2014 set up of this project.

Health Issues

In May 2017, Dube was admitted at a private medical institution due to health complications. Social media was awash with stories indicating that Dube had collapsed at his offices.

However, the secretary for the ministry Brigadier General Walter Asher Tapfumaneyi refuted the reports, saying the minister had not collapsed but was admitted after visiting the hospital for a routine check-up on Wednesday.

A local newspaper reported that Dube was reportedly suffering from a kidney ailment and had visited the private hospital for dialysis purposes.^[9]

NRZ Board Member

In January 2023, at the age of 81 years, Dube was appointed to the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) board by Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister, Felix Mhona. ^[10]

He was appointed to the NRZ board to serve for a three-year term ending 6 December 2025.

Following criticism over the appointment, Dube said he did not care what people said, saying his mind was still sharp.^[11] He was quoted as saying:

I was appointed by my President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is the appointing authority. If you have queries, go and ask him.

l have committed no sin to be appointed to the NRZ board, after all, l am not the chief executive officer.

I don’t work on my feet, but I use my brain, and my brain is still stable. l have been in the industry for many years, and have sat on over 20 boards worldwide.

l have resuscitated many companies and I don’t care what people say since I would not be able to answer all of them.

Trivia

• Dube at one time brought in the late Michael Jackson to Zimbabwe. He also brought South African musicians Freddie Gwala and Platform One to perform for free in 2013 ahead of the elections.^[2]
• In July 2015, Dube struggled to read his prepared maiden speech in parliament and was forced to sit down after his extended time ran out. Some of the issues that were in Dube’s speech included that his constituency, which was thriving in its heydays now signified a squalor due to economic difficulties. Dube spoke in a very low voice causing opposition MPs to make fun of him saying he was speaking to himself. Mabvuku/Tafara MP James Maridadi of Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirayi (MDC-T) (MDC-T) even took a picture of Dube in jest. He was ordered to hand over his speech to Hansard, a parliamentary publication that records proceedings verbatim. ^[12]
• Dube was conferred the Grand Officer of the Zimbabwe Order of Merit on 14 August 2012 by President Mugabe.

Further Reading

First operations - deployment in a unit of 10 guerillas that laid the foundation for the historical Wankie (Hwange) battles in 1967, which was a joint operation between Zapu and ANC guerillas, the Umkhonto WeSizwe (MK). ^[13]

References